Waiting for the Storm
by FlashFiction
Summary: Minerva McGonagall returns to the school of witchcraft and wizardry for her 41st year of teaching. Even though Snape is now headmaster, she tries to continue as normal. But things are not normal and Minerva knows the storm draws near.
1. Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **This is my first attempt at a story that isn't a one shot. Please tell me what you think!

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not, nor will I ever own Harry Potter. I am merely an admirer of the magical world that J.K.R has created. A world that she has kindly let people, like myself, play around in.

Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End

A grey sky threatened rain. The air was cold, sharp and somewhat sinister. Great hills obscured the horizon, the fading light of the afternoon casting shadows wherever it could. Minerva McGonagall shivered, pulling her traveling cloak closer to her thin, angular frame. Her greying black hair was pulled back in a tight bun, emphasizing the definite structure of her cheek bones. Her eyes were blue, dark and serious, unforgiving to those unaccustomed to them. Her face was an attractive one, but it had weathered many seasons, each line telling a different story. She was tall, taller than most woman her age, not that her age was a defining feature. She had lived with the energy of an active forty year old for the past twenty-five years. But this year was different.

Minerva had really never felt her age until now. She had always been far too busy to think about the aches and pains that came with time. There were always things that needed doing and Minerva was usually first to volunteer, only resting when her friends managed to attach her (literally) to her seat. But a tide of weariness had recently washed over her and it was yet to recede. She felt slow, unmotivated, like a car with its engine removed.

She walked, a suitcase in one hand, up a long path bordered by a hedge. She limped slightly as she moved, the result of an injury two years ago. Her feet dragged, not because she was tired, but because she had been avoiding making this trip for many months now. Her case had been unpacked and repacked at least five times, under the pretense of forgetting various objects that weren't actually necessary. But the only person she was trying to deceive was herself and Minerva was a stickler for honesty, even to the point where she couldn't fool her own mind.

So she walked up the path, wondering why on earth she was there and wanting to turn back every second. She came to a large gate made of ornate, rusting silver. It stretched at least four metres in the air, a coat of arms dominating most of the wrought metal. She reached a hand out, but the gate swung open before her fingers reached it. Minerva almost smiled. She had walked this path every year for almost forty-one years, the gate recognizing an old friend after all the passing time. Minerva slipped through and closed it behind her.

As she lifted her eyes to look up the hill, her breath caught in her throat. The Hogwarts Castle stood before her. It was the castle, just the castle, she had been there many times before and yet it made her feel strange, angry, sad and confused. Hogwarts had always been a good thing, a shining beacon, her home away from home. It gave her hope and a warm feeling on the inside. That had changed now. The castle seemed like an empty shell, the windows revealing only emptiness. Where there had once been warmth, there was an unyielding cold. Where there had once been light, there was now only darkness.

It was because Albus was gone. Albus Dumbledore, her mentor, hero and friend. It was his presence, that had reassured her all those times when she thought that everything was going wrong. It had been under his guidance, that she had become the formidable transfiguration mistress she was today. It was him, in short, that made Hogwarts, Hogwarts. And he was gone, killed by a man he had trusted above anyone. Killed by the very man who now took his place.

The thought of Severus Snape sitting at the place that was rightfully Albus Dumbledore's, made Minerva sick to her stomach. She wanted to crush that Snape viper, to make him feel the pain she and everyone else had felt. But she couldn't. Snape was headmaster now and she was still a teacher. She was staying. She had to stay. She had promised Molly Weasley, who had sent an owl begging for the protection of her youngest child. Molly wouldn't be the only parent who felt that way. Many others would surely know the dangers of their children being connected to Snape and through him, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Minerva shivered again. They were all in danger now days. But somebody had to step up to the plate and keep everything running as normal. She would be one of those people. She was first and foremost a teacher and it was her job, her calling, to maintain the standards at Hogwarts. She would do it for Albus.

A creak from behind her, indicated that someone else had come through the gate. She turned to see her friend and Hogwarts Quidditch Mistress, Rolanda Hooch. Rolanda had steel grey hair and bright yellow hawk eyes. She wore grey traveling robes and carried a suitcase in one hand. She dragged her broom along, lacking any of her usual vigour. It was a shock to see Rolanda. Her presence was of course expected and she usually arrived at this time of year, but Minerva was so used to her zapping through the gates and flying several loops of the castle on her broom, that seeing her walk through in this dejected fashion was quite unsettling.

"Rolanda." Minerva said.

"Minerva." Rolanda sighed, giving her friend a quick hug.

"How was your summer?" Minerva asked, awkwardly.

"Alright," Rolanda shrugged, "yours?"

"Fine." Minerva nodded.

Both woman knew this was far from the truth. They were active members of the Order of the Phoenix, an organization dedicated to fighting the rise of You-Know-Who. All summer they heard reports of families attacked and muggles murdered. They had morned the death of friends, Mad Eye Moody being a particularly hard loss. Only recently they had learnt that the ministry had fallen. The Minister for Magic had been killed and his spot filled by someone under the control of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. The situation was reaching crisis levels and both Rolanda and Minerva knew it.

The two witches turned to face the castle. Minerva sighed, something that didn't go unnoticed.

"I'm surprised seeing you arrive this late." Rolanda said, "Usually you've been here for at least a week."

"I've been putting off the journey." Minerva said.

Rolanda nodded.

"Same here. There's no way I'm spending more time with Snape then I have to."

She lowered her eyes.

"I was seriously considering not coming back this year."

This admission was quite a big thing. Rolanda loved Hogwarts, it was a commonly known fact. She had, like Minerva, spent most of her working life at the school and deciding not return would have been difficult.

"I'm glad you came," Minerva said, quietly, "we need someone to take our mind off things."

Rolanda grinned.

"Yes, I guess this is one of those times when my natural jokester ability comes in handy."

Her smiled faded almost as quickly as it had come. Even someone as light-hearted as Rolanda could tell that there would be drastic changes this year. Minerva took her arm and led the way towards the castle. Both women fell into step and went silently towards the uncertainty of this new school term.


	2. Chapter 2: New Arrivals

Chapter 2: New Arrivals

Minerva walked to her living quarters alone. She tapped the old wooden door with her wand and it opened on to her study. The room had a familiar, reassuring feeling to it. Somehow, the darkness and cold that had consumed the rest of the school, had not penetrated the tartan covered walls. The fire had already been lit and the dancing flames cast a warm, pleasant glow on all the furniture. Minerva smiled. Her study had always been her sanctuary and it seemed, for the time being, that it was going to stay that way.

She closed the door behind her and walked through to an adjoining room. A bed took up most of the space, with a set of dressers and a wardrobe in the corners. Another door led to a bathroom. Minerva opened her case on her bed and began putting things away in their rightful places. It was so routine, that she almost expected Albus to come walking in, beaming with his usual warm smile, inquiring after her holidays. The thought made her stomach twist into several knots and she was caught between the happiness of the memory and the sadness of the reality. Albus would not walk through the door anymore.

As she put her last dress in the wardrobe, another person walked through the door. A squat witch, with a kindly face and fly away grey hair, leant against the door frame and knocked three times. Minerva spun around.

"Pomona!" she said, running over to her friend and giving her hug.

"That's the most enthusiastic greeting I think I've ever received from you." Pomona Sprout, the Herbology Professor, said in tones of mock surprise.

Minerva made a face and smiled.

"It's good to see you."

"You too!" Pomona said.

Neither of them said what they were actually thinking. It was of course nice to see each other, but it was even nicer to find that neither of them had died over the summer. Minerva wasn't foolish or optimistic, she knew that there was a high risk of her friends and colleagues not returning at all, but it still something that didn't bare thinking about. And she thought about it all the time. She tried to imagine what life would be like without Pomona, Rolanda and the fourth member of their group, Poppy Pomfrey, but somehow she couldn't do it. Losing them would be like losing Albus four times over and having to go through the intensified pain would be unbearable.

"Are you finished unpacking already?" Minerva inquired.

"I've been here since yesterday." Pomona replied.

"I bet _that_ was a party." Minerva said, sarcastically.

Pomona rolled her eyes.

"I took one look at Snape and decided to lock myself in the greenhouse until bedtime. There was no way I was going to speak to him without back up."

Minerva noticed the obvious change from "Severus" (as they had called him in previous years) to "Snape". If the headmaster wasn't careful, he'd have a full scale mutiny to deal with.

"When did back up arrive?" she asked.

"Poppy came this morning, Filius was here when I arrived," Pomona listed, ticking off the matron and the Charms teacher on her fingers, " Septima and Aurora came just before you and Rolanda. Hagrid was of course already here, as was Cuthbert. Bathsheda's been here for weeks, same as Horace, and I suspect Sybill is somewhere, hovering around."

The listed staff accounted for Charms, Arithmancy, Astronomy, Transfiguration, Flying, Care of Magical Creatures, History of Magic, Ancient Runes, Potions and Divination. Pomona would be taking Herbology, but there were still two apparent job openings with Defense Against the Dark Arts and Muggle Studies (if that was even to be continued).

"I take it there are-" Minerva paused, "_new additions_ to our ranks."

Pomona sighed.

"You'd take correctly."

Minerva shook her head.

"Who are they? I'm going to assume they're Death Eaters."

"Naturally," Pomona said, grudgingly, "a brother and sister by the name of Carrow. The brother, Amycus, got Defense Against the Dark Arts and his sister Alecto has Muggle Studies."

Minerva raised an eyebrow.

"Muggle Studies? They're continuing Muggle Studies? What kind of Death Eaters are these Carrows?"

"You'll meet them soon enough," Pomona said, "we've been summoned to a staff meeting this evening."

Minerva walked towards the staffroom, the heels of her boots clicking against the stone floor. The sound echoed outward, a reminder of the castle's emptiness. Though she worried for their safety, Minerva couldn't wait till tomorrow evening, when the students returned and the hallways of Hogwarts would once again be filled with laughter, voices and, overall, life.

The staffroom currently lacked all those things. It felt icy and dead, a low murmur of voices only just breaking the silence. All heads turned to Minerva as she entered. Poppy Pomfrey, the school matron, stood up in a greeting. Filius Flitwick, the tiny Charms Professor, raised a hand solemnly. Septima Vector, the Arithmancy teacher, gave her a half smile, then resumed a deadpan stare at the wall. Pomona moved over so she could sit on the couch. Some people didn't even acknowledge her entry. Rolanda stood, staring out the window, her eyes distant and her face stony. Bathsheda Babbling, in charge of Ancient Runes, was looking around anxiously. Aurora Sinistra, Horace Slughorn and Rubeus Hagrid, teachers of Astronomy, Potions and Care of Magical Creatures respectively, were, surprisingly for all of them, not saying anything.

Minerva noticed that the staffroom had been split into two distinct groups, with one side of the room being almost completely empty. Even Sybill Trelawney and Cuthbert Binns, usually solitary souls, had chosen to stand with everyone else, because on the other side of the room were two people that could only be the infamous Amycus and Alecto Carrow.

Amycus was short and lanky, with a rat like face and drawn out features. He was slightly hunch backed and his beady black eyes darted around excitedly. Alecto was also short, but that was were her resemblance to her brother stopped. She was big, stocky and rather square shouldered. Her face showed none of her brothers excitement, her eyes cold and grey. Her nose was too small for her face and her jaw was solid. Her overall look was intelligent but unpleasant, her expression resembling closely a bird of prey. Minerva didn't like them on principal, but the first glimpse of them intensified her dislike to hatred.

"What a cheery bunch of people." Minerva said, sitting next to Pomona on the couch.

Poppy smiled.

"Couldn't let the party start without you, Minerva. On to business. What do we make of the new arrivals?" she asked, her tone going from airy to serious.

Everyone leaned in closer, a rather obvious attempt to make sure the conversation wasn't heard by those across the room.

"I remember teaching them." Filius said, in a low voice, "I didn't see much of Amycus. He didn't seem to think much of attendance and he dropped Charms in his sixth year. I taught Alecto the whole way through and, I'm not ashamed to say, I expected big things from her. She was bright, exceptionally bright, and quietly confident. It's a shame she turned out like her brother, a great shame."

"I was in the year between both of them." Septima said, "Amycus was a sadistic little bastard, always getting into some sort of trouble. Alecto was just as evil, but she knew how to hide it."

"They're going to be impossible to work with." Horace moaned.

"But we must grin and bare it," Pomona said, sternly, "for the student's sake."

"Hear, hear." Bathsheda whispered.

"I will be doing no such grinning." Poppy said, passionately. "They will find themselves with a small uprising, if they try to impress their Death Eater values on the pupils."

"Good women." Filius said, approvingly.

Poppy blushed and looked at her feet. Minerva smiled inwardly. Rolanda had been pushing for a Poppy/Filius relationship for years. It would funny if it suddenly happened now. Minerva looked over at her friend, who was still staring out the window. Rolanda had been uncharacteristically quiet and it was the most chilling thing about the room. Minerva was about to go to her, when the staffroom door opened and the new headmaster of Hogwarts School swept into the room.


	3. Chapter 3: A Message from the Headmaster

Chapter 3: A Message from the Headmaster

Severus Snape was not tall, but not short, with greasy black hair, even darker eyes and a hooked nose. He moved slowly, his flowing black robes giving him the appearance of an awkward dementor. Everything about him was cold and, at that present moment, everything about him was unwelcome.

"Good evening." Snape said, in his usual drawling tone.

If he was waiting for a response, he didn't get one. Minerva gave him her most scathing look, doing everything she could to keep herself from pulling out her wand and cursing him. The other staff members seemed to have similar thoughts. Rolanda's eyes drifted on to his face and narrowed. Septima was fingering her wand threateningly. Filius looked as though he could forget his wand and go at Snape with his bare hands.

"I hope I find you in the best of health, ready to start the new term," Snape continued. "We have, as I'm sure you have noticed, some new additions to our faculty. Amycus and Alecto Carrow will be filling the positions of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and Muggle Studies teacher."

Amycus gave a twitchy smile, his eyes gleaming menacingly. Alecto gave a jerky nod. Her face was impossible to read.

"There will be a few changes to the syllabus this year," Snape went on, "the first one being that Defense Against the Dark Arts will be taking a more _practical_ approach. I'll leave it at that and if you have any further questions you can consult with Professor Carrow. The second is that Muggle Studies is now compulsory for every attending student. I'm sure you've all seen the Ministry's hard line on the inferiority of the Muggle race. Hogwarts school wishes to support the Ministry and, to do so, a newly revised Muggle Studies course is being put in place."

Rolanda made a hissing noise like an angry cat. Pomona clenched her fists, trying to control her temper. The new rules and laws involving muggle borns were a load of crap and everyone knew it. Minerva wasn't happy about it, being a half blood and a strong opponent of the pure-blood superiority movement. She definitely wasn't happy about the invasion of Hogwarts by the Ministry. But You-Know-Who had both Hogwarts and the Ministry under his control, so essentially they were the same thing now. And it definitely wouldn't pay to anger either establishment, not until the right movement. So Minerva stayed silent, bottling up her anger and storing it in the back of her mind.

"Punishments are now the responsibility of the Carrows. Any person that misbehaves should be referred to them immediately. That concludes my announcements," Snape finished, "All I can say now is how pleased I am to be the headmaster of this fine institution."

This proved too much for Filius, who had grown increasingly red at Snape's words.

Jumping out of his seat and marching forward, he yelled "BY THE NAME OF MERLIN'S SAGGY LEFT-"

"Filius!" Poppy interrupted, quickly.

"How can he stand there and say this?" Filius cried, appealing to his fellow teachers. "How can he stand where Albus stood and talk as though he's actually in charge! The position of Headmaster rightfully belongs to Albus Dumbledore and this... _Murderer_ will never be half the wizard he was."

"Filius." Poppy whispered, nervously.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him backwards. Filius looked mutinous, but he calmed down at Poppy's touch and said no more. Snape just smiled.

"Well, well." he sneered, "At least we know where we stand. If, Filius or anyone else, is unhappy with the new arrangements, you can go and pack your bags right now. Do you wish to leave, Filius?"

"No." Filius muttered.

Snape raised an eyebrow.

"No, _Headmaster_." Filius said, with absolute venom.

"Right then." Snape said, with a condescending smile, "I trust that no further problems shall arise."

He turned to leave, the Carrows following behind him like imprinted ducklings.

"You should consider yourself lucky, Filius." Snape said, as he left the staffroom. "I know plenty who, in my situation, would not be so forgiving."

The staffroom erupted with noise. Everyone was discussing the new policies, lamenting the loss of Albus Dumbledore and half scolding, half congratulating FIlius for his bravery and stupidity.

"What on _earth_ were you thinking?" Poppy said, her face white.

"You were the one who said that we shouldn't stand for this kind of insanity!" Filius said, defensively.

Poppy sighed and shook her head.

"I didn't mean you should go and almost start a duel! There are times when you should hold your tongue. The moment to fight will come, but until it does we have to wait."

"Yeh go' ter be careful!" Hagrid warned.

"We don't need anyone else getting hurt." Pomona said, soundly.

"Losing Charity was hard enough." Bathsheda agreed.

"Charity?" Aurora said, "Charity Burbage? I thought she resigned."

The room hushed immediately. Minerva held her breath. Aurora was the youngest on the staff and she was still somewhat naive, but Minerva thought even she would have worked out the truth. Charity Burbage had been the Muggle Studies teacher for several of the previous years. She had been a bright, witty woman with an inquisitive nature and a passion for teaching. But suddenly, on the first day of the holidays, she had disappeared. The story went around that she had resigned from her post and gone traveling.

"Oh Honey," Poppy said, gently "you don't still think she resigned."

"Didn't she?" Aurora squeaked.

"Of course not!" Septima said, bitterly, "Charity wouldn't resign. She loved it here too much. And she wouldn't have gone without telling anyone."

Minerva and Rolanda glanced at each other. The Order of the Phoenix had investigated the disappearance and, being members, they both knew a few details. Their shared look didn't go unnoticed by Poppy. "Minerva, Rolanda," she said, slowly, "What aren't you telling us? What happened to Charity?"

"Poppy-" Minerva began.

"What - happened - to - Charity?" Poppy said, saying each word deliberately slow.

"She's dead!" Rolanda said, her voice full of anger.

"Rolanda, we don't know for sure." Minerva whispered, though her tone seemed to confirm Rolanda's statement.

"What? How can you know?" Pomona gasped, her voice faltering at the end of the sentence.

"Some Order members went to her house." Rolanda said.

Minerva sighed, but Rolanda either didn't hear or chose to ignore her.

"They found evidence of a struggle. Things were broken and there-" she paused, "there was blood on the walls. If she had survived the attack, she'd have so little blood left that it's not likely she made it far. It had to be Death Eaters. And it had to be recent, because the Order went back the next day and someone had torched it. Cursed fire, the whole thing gone."

Rolanda turned away, tears in her eyes. Minerva felt her own eyes watering and she quickly wiped them away with her sleeve. Pomona sniffed. Poppy was white. Aurora was quietly sobbing. Everyone was quiet, the memory of a good friend and colleague filling their minds.

"Wait here." Horace said and he went out of the staffroom.

A few seconds later he returned, with a bottle of Firewhiskey and several glasses. After handing a glass to everyone, he uncorked the bottle and poured a little of the amber liquid into each. He then raised his own and said:

"To Charity."

Around the room, eleven glasses were raised in the air and eleven voices echoed Horace's statement.

"To Charity."


	4. Chapter 4: The Sorting

Chapter 4: The Sorting

Minerva stood at the top of the grand staircase, adjusting her hat. September the 1st was usually a happy occasion, the day when she got to welcome new additions to the school and got to greet those returning. Today was a little different from usual. The students, that walked through the doors on their way to the feast, looked anxious and scared, instead of happy.

Minerva watched the Patil sisters, one Gryffindor, one Ravenclaw, walk into the Great Hall. Following them were two more Gryffindors, Demelza Robins and Colin Creevy. How Creevy returned to Hogwarts, Minerva had no idea. She knew he was a muggle born, as did most people. She could only guess that someone had lied for him and hopefully the lie would hold. Colin nodded at her as he went past. He was tall, muscular, with straight, blonde hair that fell across his forehead. He was in his sixth year, but Minerva would always think of him as the little first year with the overwhelming enthusiasm and the annoying flash camera. They had all grown up so fast.

Some students, Minerva noticed, didn't seem too disheartened about returning. A majority, if not all, of these students were from Slytherin. Minerva had never been prejudiced towards different houses, as she tried not to define people too much by where they were sorted, but Slytherin, Slytherin got to her. They were so conceited, so convinced that they're status protected them from harm. They were probably right. Not many muggle borns or blood traitors went into Slytherin.

_But then again _Minerva thought _Not many muggle borns want to go into Slytherin._

Being a Slytherin required a certain mindset, a mindset that generally required being brought up in a pure-blood society or being extremely adaptable. It also involved being cunning to the point of deception, something that Minerva could never understand. But, she supposed, there had to be a lot of things about Gryffindor (her house) that the other houses didn't understand. Gryffindors were brave to the point of stupidity. They would take a killing curse for the people they loved, then refuse to lie down and die. They were mighty and strong, like the animal that represented them. Minerva was proud to be a Gryffindor.

"Sorry to interrupt your thoughts," came the smokey voice of Alecto Carrow, a voice that didn't sound remotely sorry, "but I believe the Headmaster requires you in the Great Hall."

Minerva raised an eyebrow.

"I can't think what he would want with me."

"That is his business, not mine, Minerva."

"Well, _Alecto_," Minerva said, "I need to be here to welcome the first years."

Alecto smirked, her eyes lighting up with malice.

"I see, _Minerva_, that you didn't get the memo. You're no longer required to see in the first years."

Minerva's eyes narrowed.

"And why would that be, _Alecto_?"

"Because, _Minerva_," Alecto said, with a self-satisfied smile, "I shall be in charge of the sorting this year."

Minerva's eyebrows were so flat, that she looked positively hawklike. _She _sorted the first years. She _always_ sorted the first years. She had done so for the past thirty-nine years and now this, this intruder was trying to take her job!

"I don't think that will be necessary." she said, in a strained voice.

"Oh, but the Headmaster thinks it is." Alecto whispered, her voice losing its teasing quality.

"He could have informed me himself," Minerva snapped, "if it was so important!"

"He has more important things to deal with."

"More important things! He's the bloody headmaster! What's more important than running the school? Oh wait, I forgot he's still under contract. He's not serving the school, he's serving his _mark_!"

Minerva reached into her robes and pulled out her wand. She stood tall, almost daring Alecto to challenge her.

"Temper, temper." Alecto said, her mouth curving into a sly smile, "Dueling is hardly advisable at your age."

Minerva's lips went so thin, that they almost disappeared. Her hand shook with rage. Alecto saw she had hit a weak spot and continued on her tangent.

"Besides," she sneered, "what kind of example would that set for the students? Honestly, Minerva, you call yourself a teacher."

This was too far. Minerva went right up to Alecto, looking down at her, eyes blazing. Her wand was pointed at Alecto's chin and her chest was heaving up and down.

"_Don't - you - dare - question - my - teaching._" she breathed, her voice dangerously low.

Alecto backed off, trying to look defiant but she was obviously intimidated. She was arrogant, but she wasn't stupid. Minerva McGonagall was a witch of prestigious talent and a more than worthy opponent.

"If you think you can take me," Minerva whispered, "I'm ready. Anytime, any place."

And she spun on her heel and walked into the Great Hall.

Minerva sat between Filius and Horace, looking disgruntled. Any moment now the first years would walk through the door, led by that Carrow Cow. They would be called to the stool and then placed in their house by the legendary Hogwarts Sorting Hat. It seemed less exciting since she wasn't doing it herself. It was childish, even Rolanda had said so, but she couldn't let it go. The new Gryffindor students were now all she was looking forward to.

Five minutes later, a crowd of small girls and boys, dressed in Hogwarts robes, came shuffling into the hall. At the front of the group was Alecto Carrow, looking smug. Most of the new arrivals looked terrified. Some didn't however and Minerva guessed they would either be Slytherins or Gryffindors. Slytherins, who were happy with the new regime or Gryffindors, who were smiling at the thought of danger.

Alecto gestured for the students to wait, then she disappeared and came back carrying a stool and an old hat, with a rip in the brim. Minerva leaned forward, her interest renewed. The Sorting Hat, before putting the new students into houses, traditionally sang some kind of song. In fact most of the old students were leaning forward too, eager to see what the hat would make of the current climate. The Sorting Hat quivered, then opened the rip in its brim and began to sing.

_I've seen every sorting_

_Since the founders made the school_

_And I've split you based on what I see_

_For that's my only rule_

_But students, staff and teachers_

_This warning to you I give_

_You must forget that you've been coloured_

_If you ever want to live_

_For a storm's on the horizon_

_With the intention to divide_

_Where we stand and take our arms_

_Is what we must decide_

_Blue, red and yellow must be strong_

_Together, hand in hand_

_And the ever green outsider_

_Must choose exactly where they stand_

_Our differences are great_

_But our enemy is the same_

_Summon the qualities of your house_

_The things that give them fame_

_Gryffindor bring courage_

_Ravenclaw bring wit_

_Slytherin be cunning_

_Hufflepuff, don't let us quit_

_For together we can't be broken_

_United we'll battle on_

_And however they try to beat us_

_We won't stop until they're gone_

_For there's never been a better time_

_To help your sister and your brother_

_Lead the resistance, however you can_

_And we'll get by, if we lean on each other_

There was an awkward silence as everyone realized what the Sorting Hat was saying. Minerva glanced at Snape, whose face was impassive. Amycus Carrow looked as though his eyes were going to jump out of his face. Usually there were a few people who didn't understand the sorting song, but this year its message was clear. Stand together and fight.

A solitary person began to clap. Minerva's eyes moved across the hall to her own Gryffindors. A boy, tall with messy brown hair and a round face, was the source of the noise. Neville Longbottom. He continued to clap and as he did, more and more people joined in. Minerva smiled and began to applaud, clapping more for Neville than the Sorting Hat. The two Gryffindor prefects, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger weren't here this year. Hopefully they'd gone with Harry Potter and were planning to save the wizarding world. They were only kids, but they could do it. In any case, Gryffindor needed some new leaders and Neville's display made him a perfect candidate. Minerva smiled, even more broadly. Maybe this year wouldn't be so bad after all.


	5. Chapter 5: Mama Lion

Chapter 5: Mama Lion

After the sorting and the feast, Minerva left the hall and began to make her way back to her rooms. She took the long route, feeling like she needed the walk. She had only been walking a short way, when she found herself stopping in front of a portrait. The painting was of a woman of rather generous proportions. She wore a pink silk dress and grinned slightly as Minerva came near. Known as the Fat Lady, she guarded the entrance to the Gryffindor common room and dormitory.

"Coming to visit your cubs, Minerva?" the Fat Lady asked, with a teasing note.

"Just passing by." Minerva smiled.

But as she walked past she wondered, why not? She hadn't visited the Gryffindor common room since Sirius Black had been seen at Hogwarts. It had been a time of terror and uncertainty. A time much like now.

"Actually," Minerva said, retracing her steps, "I might make an appearance tonight. Keep the Gryffindors on their toes."

"I'm going to have to ask you for a password." said the Fat Lady.

Minerva knew the password. It was Gryffindor tradition that the portrait or guardian only gave out the password to the head of house. The head would then distribute it amongst the students.

"Resistance." Minerva whispered, laughing at the thought of Snape finding out.

The Fat Lady winked and the portrait swung open.

Minerva stepped through the hole, slightly awkwardly. As she straightened up, a red and gold pride welled up inside her. The Gryffindor common room was alive. Everywhere voices were calling to their friends, asking about their holidays, joking and laughing. New students were being welcomed like old friends and, somehow, some Weasley's Wizard Wheezes products (namely _Wildfire Whiz-Bangs _fire works) had been smuggled into the dorms. Gryffindor looked... well like Gryffindor. It was a burning fire, in a never ending sea of darkness. It was Gryffindor, her Gryffindor.

"Can I help you, Professor?"

Whilst Minerva had drifted off into her thoughts, she'd failed to notice the sudden drop in noise and quick rush to hide Weasley products. New faces looked up at her, not really sure who she was. Old faces smiled, for they knew exactly who she was. Everyone was hushed. They were obviously expecting some kind of speech or at least some reprimanding for noisy behavior at this time of night.

"I just thought I'd stop by and..." she trailed off, "say hello."

A collective sigh seemed to go around the room. Everyone was a lot more relaxed to learn they weren't going to be yelled at.

"For those of you who don't know, I'm Professor McGonagall. I'd like to welcome you and to say that I'm extremely proud of all of you, not just for being in Gryffindor, but for returning this year."

The room tensed instantly. Minerva had been tossing up whether to bring up the subject of Snape, the Carrows and what that meant. In the end she decided that she couldn't skate around it. It would an insult to their intelligence to pretend they didn't all ready know about it and she felt that they had a right to hear it from her.

"As most of you know," Minerva continued, "the school is under new management. A few of you probably know the circumstances. All of you will feel the consequences. I probably shouldn't speak of my fellow teachers in this way, but the Carrows are merciless. I'm not going to pretend that they're not outsiders and, while I don't wish to encourage hostility, I want all of you to be on your guard. I'm trusting you to know what the right thing to do is. The Sorting Hat might be an ancient piece of cloth, but it had more truth in one song then most people have heard in a long time. There is a storm coming and we must be ready when it does."

Minerva looked around the room at the students she was addressing. They were children, why did they have to go through this? They were terrified, it was easy to see. A huge number from their ranks were missing, maybe in hiding, maybe leading the resistance, maybe already a casualty.

"I don't want to scare you," she said, somewhat sheepishly, "though I know that's hard to do. I just think you should be warned."

Ginny Weasley, a sixth year student and daughter of two Order members, gave her an encouraging smile. Minerva held her head a little higher.

"We all need to be independent." she said, sounding more confident. "But we need to help and rely on others. Together, we have what will make us unstoppable. We have love, friendship and trust, some of the highest forms of magic, something beyond anything you can learn in class here. Gryffindors especially value these things. Everyone of you in this room, has been sorted into Gryffindor for a reason. Something inside of you has shown that you belong here and this year is going to be a year when you have to prove what that thing is. I know that you can do it."

Her dark, serious eyes swept around the room. Neville Longbottom was nodding slowly. Ginny was quietly applauding. Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown began to clap as well. Soon the entire room was filled with applause. Seamus Finnigan whistled loudly. Minerva noticed that he looked slightly lonely without his partner of crime, Dean Thomas, by his side. Dean was one of the students that hadn't returned this year, taking the number of absent seventh years to four.

"Thank you," Minerva said, when the clapping had died down. "I suppose all there's left to do is to tell you to study hard and try and enjoy this year the best you can."

"Study?" Seamus asked.

"Yes of course, Mr Finnigan." she replied, "How else will you pass your exams?"

"WHAT?" Seamus cried, incredulously, " You-Know-Who is out there, the world is in chaos, Snape has control of Hogwarts, and you're still expecting us to take _exams_!"

The was an awkward pause and then Minerva couldn't help but burst out laughing. The sound was silvery, warm and musical, a sound that basically all the students hadn't heard before. It was very unlike their teacher to laugh at all, let alone laugh in such a serious situation.

"It's good to have you back, Mr Finnigan." she smiled.

Seamus grinned, "it's good to be back, Professor."

"It's good to have you all back." she said, "But I'm afraid I must now break up the party and insist you go to bed."

There were a few moans, but the crowd started to disperse up various staircases. Minerva turned and began to walk towards the portrait-hole, dodging a stray firework as she went. Before she got there, she caught a snippet of conversation.

"So she's the head of house?" a dark haired first year asked.

"Yep." Seamus said, proudly.

"Our Mama Lion." Ginny added, with a grin.

Minerva walked a little faster. If anyone thought she'd heard Ginny, she would certainly have to comment. But on the inside she was glowing. Her students were proud of her. They respected her. They even _liked_ her, which was nice, given that she was regarded as one of the strictest teachers in the school. She was their "Mama Lion" and she was proud of it. Of course, Rolanda couldn't hear of this. If she did, Minerva would be called Mama Lion for the rest of her days and that just wouldn't do. Still, she had been called worse things before.

Minerva went to bed that night with a smile on her face. The darkness that had spread through the castle, had also failed to reach Gryffindor. The house, with its red and gold lion, was as much a symbol of courage and hope as it had ever been.


	6. Chapter 6:News of the Unpleasant Variety

Chapter 6: News Of The Unpleasant Variety

The first few days of term proved to be trying for everyone. The Carrows had taken their roles of head disciplinarians seriously and, although Minerva was yet to discover what the punishments were, most who were given detentions came out of it crying. Minerva didn't give detentions if she help it. She'd even stopped threatening students with them, feeling that she couldn't if she wasn't actually going to follow through. The other teachers felt uncomfortable about referring students to the Carrows as well, preferring to deal with misbehavers themselves, just so they could be sure of what was happening to them. However most of the time Alecto and Amycus managed to sniff out trouble and those caught were sentenced without trial.

The brother and sister duo were equally mean to the faculty. Amycus had picked Aurora for a weak link and had taken to taunting her, threatening with his wand and hinting his true allegiance. Alecto preferred to play more of a mind game, once reducing Sybill to tears without even uttering a word. Minerva, though not fond of Sybill, hated to see someone treated in this manner. But it was hardly wise to challenge someone who was so close to the Headmaster, as Alecto reminded her when she approached.

The teachers instead found other ways to let out their anger. Rolanda kept a quaffle on her at all times, throwing it as hard as she could whenever she saw a Carrow or something associated with them (though she had to stop this after a window, several portraits and a first year had become victims of her ranting). Some, like Filius and Minerva, had put into their teaching the energy that would otherwise have been spent attacking certain people. Minerva had even seen Pomona and Poppy whispering over a book titled _Sticks and Stones Can Break Your Bones and Pins Can Hurt Quite Badly: A Guide to Voodoo Magic_. With these and other release outlets, the staff managed to keep their temper to a minimum, but they still dreaded it when a Carrow passed them in a hallway.

Minerva particularly dreaded it. After their first encounter, Alecto seemed to have formed a vendetta against her and took every opportunity to insult or intimidate. Minerva didn't scare easily and, had it just been Alecto, she would have cursed her and been finished with it. But if she cursed Alecto, she was, in a sense, also cursing Amycus, Snape, Snape's supporters, the Death Eaters and You-Know-Who himself. That was a particular war that she didn't want to fight alone.

So when Amycus and Alecto stopped her in a corridor that afternoon, she did her best to refrain from fighting.

"Oi," Amycus yelled, "McGonagall."

Minerva turned her head slowly.

"Eloquent as ever," she said, sarcastically, "Can I help you Amycus?"

"The Headmaster has a guest at the gate," Amycus sneered, "and he wants you to go and get him."

"Why can't the Headmaster open the gates magically?" Minerva asked.

Amycus shrugged, "I don't know do I. He doesn't tell me everything."

"Really?" Minerva said, "I was under the impression that you and your charming sister were his closest confidants. What with you being in the same clubs."

Amycus scowled menacingly and went forward, his wand in his hand. Alecto pulled him back, not taking her eyes off Minerva.

"Don't, Amycus," she said, quietly, "not now."

"Finally realizing the danger?" Minerva said, laughing coldly, "It took you long enough."

"You think you're so clever!" said Amycus.

"Yes, I do rather." Minerva said, sweetly.

"Quit playing, Minerva," Alecto said, cooly, "just get the gate."

And she stalked off down the hall, her brother skidding behind her. Minerva muttered some language that she hadn't used since her teens. How dare they use her like she was some common house elf, like she was just there to fetch for them. She would get the visitor, she had too, but she would do it slowly and with as much inconvenience as possible.

True to her word, Minerva took the long way to get to the gate. She was glad that she did, as the man that waited for her looked thoroughly unpleasant. He was relatively tall with hard, blunt features and long, dirty hair that he had tied back in a ponytail. His face had an attractive edge to it, though the expression in his mouth and eyes masked most of it. He was probably a Death Eater. When Minerva came closer and unlocked the gate, the man's face melted into a smile, which, if truth be told, was almost as bad as his angry expression.

"Well, hello there." he said, his voice rough and low.

"I've come to take you to the Headmaster." Minerva said, without acknowledging his greeting.

"Are you a teacher?" he smiled.

Minerva's face was cold, as was her voice, when she said "do I look like a student?"

"What? No, no, of course not." the man said seriously.

Minerva walked quickly ahead, the man having to take running steps to keep up with her.

"I'm Yaxley, by the way." the man said, conversationally.

"Professor McGonagall." Minerva said, not breaking her step.

"McGonagall? Surely you have a first name."

"I could say the same thing about you, Yaxley."

"Touche." Yaxley said, with a tone of amusement, "So, have you worked here long?"

"I hardly think that's any of your concern."

"And you're a pure-blood?"

"I hardly think that's your concern either," Minerva said, tartly, "but, if you must know, I'm half-blood. Does that bother you?"

It obviously did bother Yaxley. His mouth became a frown and his brow was lined. After what must have an huge internal struggle, Yaxley gave a strained smile.

"No, no, doesn't bother me at all." he said.

Minerva rebuffed all of Yaxley's attempts to make conversation. They reached the castle and Minerva left him outside Snape's office without saying a word. She then went to talk to the nearest person she could find, which happened to be Rolanda Hooch.

"So, he _actually _asked you if you were a pure-blood?" Rolanda gasped.

Minerva nodded.

"And when I told him I wasn't," she said, "he seemed to struggle with the concept."

Rolanda sighed.

"A Death Eater if ever there was one."

"What I want to know," Minerva said, "is what he is doing at the castle! Surely it can't just be a pleasure trip."

"Speak of the devil." Rolanda groaned.

Yaxley and Snape came walking down the hall, deep in conversation. Yaxley looked anxious, while Snape looked impassive. Yaxley quickly smiled when they came to the two woman.

"How nice to see you again, Minerva." Yaxley said, with what attempted to be a charming smile. "You'll see I've learnt your first name."

"Amongst other things, I'm sure." Minerva replied coldly.

"Maybe you could learn mine sometime." Yaxley said.

He nodded to Snape and headed out of the building. Minerva turned to leave, with Rolanda in tow.

"Just one moment, Rolanda." Snape drawled, "I need to you to check over the Quidditch pitch."

"Quidditch pitch?" Rolanda asked in surprise, "What do you want that for?"

Snape smiled cruelly.

"I've never thought you particularly bright," he said, "but that is a question even someone with your mental capacity should be able to answer. A Quidditch pitch is used for the sole purpose of playing Quidditch. Therefore it follows, that if I require the Quidditch pitch, I should want it for the playing of Quidditch."

Now it was Minerva's turn to look confused.

"Quidditch?" she asked.

"Honestly, Minerva." Snape yawned, "The stupid act may work for Rolanda, but it is most unflattering on you. I want the pitch checked before the first inter-house match."

"What!" Minerva demanded, "There's still going to be inter-house Quidditch?"

"Why shouldn't there be?" he said, "I hope you have a good team this year. Slytherin is looking stronger than ever and their first game is against Gryffindor next Saturday."

"The complete and utter ignoramus!" Minerva fumed, when Snape had walked out of sight. "Now I have to organize a team in a week, a champion team in a week! The cheek of it! And he didn't think to tell me the news until now? That man is evil, Rolanda, complete evil."

"I'm going to tell you some more news, that you probably won't like." Rolanda said, " That Yaxley character was totally coming on to you!"

"Coming on to me?"

"It means he -"

"I _know _what it means! It's just preposterous! He's a repulsive, Dark Mark worshipping, blood purist who is, with out question, a Death Eater."

"Yes, dear." Rolanda said, patiently "But that doesn't mean he's immune to your charm. You can be perfectly attractive when you choose."

"Charm? I have no charm." Minerva scoffed, "Besides I made sure I was cold, distant and unobliging."

"I know many a man who finds you extremely attractive, _especially _when you're cold, distant and unobliging."

Minerva hurried off before Rolanda could list any names. Maybe she should've found it flattering, but the unwanted affections of a Death Eater were just another thing to add to the long list of things that were going wrong. Anyway, she was more worried about the upcoming Quidditch match. How was she supposed to put together a team with this amount of time, especially since her Quidditch captain was missing? She sighed, loudly and openly. It looked like the rest of the term was going to be just as trying as the start.


	7. Chapter 7: Graffiti and Golden Snitches

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **This chapter is dedicated to yellow14, who has been extremely supportive through out the writing of previous chapters. Thanks to those who continue to read and review. Your comments are much appreciated!

Chapter 7: Graffiti and Golden Snitches

Minerva sat at her mirror, rearranging her hair and fixing her Gryffindor scarf. It was early morning, the Quidditch match scheduled for in two hours time. Minerva was slightly nervous. She had made Ginny Weasley the captain and left the sorting out of team members to her. Ginny would be seeker. Deputy captain, Demelza Robins, would be a chaser. Minerva was fine with this, she had seen both play and they were considerably talented. Her concerns lay with the rest of the team, none of whom had played Quidditch for a team before. Seamus Finnigan and Colin Creevy were filling the positions of chaser. A fourth year by the name of Cassian De Luca was going to play keeper. Two fifth years, Yanna Fraser and Jake Hill, were beaters.

Given the lack of experience, combined with the limited practice time, the actual chances of winning were slim. Minerva would never admit this. Slytherin was tough and that made her nervous, but Gryffindor had pulled off miracles before and she had faith that they would come through.

She pulled her scarf a little tighter around her neck, the red and gold framing her face. She stared in the mirror and sighed. The woman that stared back was one she hardly recognized anymore. She ran her fingers over her face.

_Time has not been kind _Minerva thought to herself.

She had been beautiful once. Her eyes, almost subconsciously, darted over to a picture of two teenage girls standing side by side. One had light, golden hair, pale brown eyes that sparkled and a smile that was wide and warm. The other had jet black hair that fell down her back in a cascade of curls. Her eyes were dark and she had a secretive, half smile. The golden haired girl was Poppy Pomfrey. The other was Minerva. The photo had been taken in their last year of Hogwarts. Much time had passed since then. Poppy, her hair now white, had somehow managed to retain her curvy figure, sparkly eyes and flawless skin. Minerva, while still tall and thin, had aged more visibly, her eyes colder, her face lined. Once she had been beautiful, but no one would call her beautiful now.

Filius Flitwick had once told her that her face had character. True, it was one of the rare occasions he had been drunk (also swearing that Rolanda was insane and that Poppy was damn sexy) but the word had stuck in Minerva's mind. Character. Was that a good thing? Perhaps it was. Perhaps it meant that she was distinctive, her own person, something she should be proud of. Perhaps it meant nothing, coming from the mouth of a man who had driven past the line of sobriety four drinks ago. She didn't know, not wanting to ask Filius as he recovered from his headache. The matter had gone unanswered and now it seemed like it was too late to ask.

Minerva's thoughts were interrupted by a loud knocking. She got up slowly and before she had even reached the door, it was thrown open by a livid looking Amycus Carrow.

"Good morning, Amycus." Minerva said, civilly.

"We'll see about that!" Amycus whispered, somewhat threateningly, "The Headmaster wants to see you about something."

"Now?" Minerva asked.

"_Obviously_ or I wouldn't be here!" Amycus yelled, completely losing his cool.

Minerva hated to be compliant to a Carrow, but she couldn't deny her curiousity was aroused. What ever she was being summoned for had to be serious.

Amycus said no more to her as they walked through the school. They turned some corners, went up some stairs and Minerva worked out where they were going. The Headmasters office. They continued in silence and, when they finally arrived, it didn't take long for her see why she was there.

Written in long, curving blue letters were the words _Dumbledore's Army: Still Recruiting_. They had been painted on the wall facing the entrance to the headmaster's office, sending an obvious message. Snape himself stood looking at the words, his face unreadable. Alecto stood beside him, her eyes stormy. Amycus came running up beside them and looked from the words to Minerva.

"Well?" Amycus demanded.

"Well, what?" Minerva asked, politely.

"You know very well what, you old cow!" Amycus hissed.

"Temper, Amycus,." Severus said, quietly. "But he has a point, Minerva. You cannot pretend you don't know what this is about."

Minerva turned to the writing on the wall and pretended to see it for the first time.

"Oh, the writing. Well, the Dumbledore it refers to is obviously the late Albus Dumbledore. I couldn't tell you anything else."

Snape narrowed his eyes.

"You have no idea who could have written this?"

Minerva had many ideas. It could have been Weasley, Longbottom, Creevy, Finnigan or a number of students from other houses. But of course she wasn't going to tell Snape this.

"No," she said, her voice a little higher than usual, "no idea at all."

Snape's cold, black eyes locked with her own serious, blue ones, as trying to look inside. He was a skilled Legilimens, she knew that, but she had spent many years shutting people out. Friends, family, lovers, it didn't really matter. No one had seen the real Minerva McGonagall in a very long time and, if she could shut out those she really cared about, an ex-comrade wasn't going to make any difference.

"Very well," Snape said, hardening his face. "If _Dumbledore's Army _continues to leave these little messages, I shall have to reinforce some of the old educational decrees. We can't have groups causing this kind of disruption."

He turned to Alecto.

"Please inform Mr Filch that his services will be required. I want this gone before the end of the Quidditch match."

The weather for the Quidditch match was surprising good, the sun making an appearance, the clouds staying away. A sea of people, some in green and silver, some in red and gold, made their way to the Quidditch pitch, spilling into the stands. There was an excited buzz in the air, voices raised in cheering and laughing. For a moment Minerva almost forgot that Snape was headmaster and that the Carrows were making life hell. The atmosphere was so reminiscent of the past few years without You-Know-Who, that she half expected Albus to sit down next to her, Harry Potter to fly on to the pitch and Lee Jordan to start making inappropriate comments over the commentators microphone. It was a good feeling and, for the first time all year, Minerva was glad to be back at Hogwarts.

The Slytherin team walked out first, looking confident and menacing. It seemed that the majority of their team had bulked up over the off season, with the beaters and keeper baring a strong resemblance to a mountain troll. Horace Slughorn (head of Slytherin house) had sat next to Minerva and offered his hand as a friendly gesture.

"May the best team win." he said, sportingly.

Minerva nodded and took his hand. She considered Horace a friend, but her Gryffindor pride was her guiding emotion at the moment. She turned to watch her own team walk on to the pitch. Ginny Weasley led the team, her flaming red hair matching her Quidditch robes. Demelza Robins followed, her chestnut ponytail swinging behind her. Yanna Fraser, tall with milky brown skin and black hair, came out waving up to the stands. Jake Hill, short and stocky, was joking with Seamus Finnigan and Colin Creevy. Last to walk out was Cassian De Luca, tanned with messy black hair and light, but serious, blue eyes. He looked nervous and solemn, the pressure of being the youngest on the team building up. Rolanda Hooch followed both teams, her usual bounce back in her step. A crate floated in front of her. She opened it and released the bludgers, followed by the Golden Snitch. The tiny golden ball hovered for a second, then whizzed out of sight. Rolanda mounted her broom and took the Quaffle in one hand. She raised her whistle to her lips. The game was about to begin.


	8. Chapter 8: A Team On and Off the Field

Chapter 8: A Team On and Off the Field

The Quaffle left Rolanda's hand, almost in slow motion. It took only a second for the stationary chasers to become a blur of colours. They all went head first towards the scarlet ball. The noise level in the stands rose and rose, Gryffindor cheering the loudest as Colin Creevy came out on top, Quaffle under his arm. He sped forward, guiding his broom towards the hoop-like goals. Minerva found herself sitting on the edge of her seat, yelling, her voice indistinguishable amongst the roar of the crowd. She watched as Colin swerved two Slytherin chasers and hurled the Quaffle to Seamus, who threw it into the air, ducked beneath a Slytherin beater and caught the Quaffle again. He passed it to Demelza and she threw it through the highest, golden hoop. She did a circle of the pitch, giving high fives to the rest of her team.

Lance Allen, Slytherin chaser and captain, had the Quaffle and was heading towards the goals. He dodged Seamus and released the ball, which spun quickly towards the left hoop. Out of nowhere, Cassian De Luca dived forward. He rolled on his broom and tipped the Quaffle with his fingers, sending it off its course and keeping it from going through the hoop. The Slytherin crowd booed and jeered. Minerva clapped loudly and looked over at Horace, not even trying to keep the smile off her face. Gryffindor had thrown a team together and they were kicking arse.

Demelza caught the Quaffle and threw it across a third of the field, where it was caught by Colin. A Slytherin beater, with a face like a pug, hit a Bludger towards him. Yanna Fraser swung her bat and sent the Bludger flying in the other direction, giving Colin enough time to throw the Quaffle to Seamus. Seamus hurled it and it went through the hoop, making a small ting as it went. The Gryffindor supporters jumped up and down in their seats, making so much noise that it could probably be heard in Hogsmeade. The score was now Gryffindor: 20, Slytherin: 0.

The Slytherin team had the Quaffle again. They passed it between them, in a tight zig-zag formation. Demelza tried to intercept it, but she couldn't break their line without committing a foul. The chaser on the end threw the Quaffle. Cassian stood his ground and it looked like he was going to block it. But at the last minute he jerked sideways and the Quaffle soared through the hoop. The Gryffindor stand gave cries of confusion. How could he have missed? No one looked more confused then Cassian, who had resumed his position in front of the main hoop. He didn't seem to understand how it had happened. Rolanda was looking around the stadium, she obviously didn't get it either. Minerva's eyes darted along the line. Alecto Carrow had just tucked her wand in to her robes. Her eyes gleamed and she was smiling with an air of self satisfaction. Minerva clenched her fists, her knuckles going white. _How dare that woman do anything to hurt her students? _Horace glanced at her.

"Are you okay, Minerva?" he asked, slightly apprehensively.

"What - the - _hell _- was - that?" Minerva whispered.

"I'm not sure." he admitted.

"It's okay, Cassian." Ginny called, "It's just one goal."

But it wasn't just one goal. Soon one goal had turned into four. Every time the Quaffle came near him, Cassian veered off in a completely different direction.

"I'm sorry," he called to his team mates, "I have no idea what's going on."

Minerva, by now, had a pretty clear idea of what was going on. Every time Cassian's broom jerked away, she saw Alecto subtly jab her wand in his direction. You didn't have to be an O level student to work out what was going on. Minerva happened to have been an O level student, so she had no trouble putting two and two together. And she didn't like it. Horace looked uncomfortable as well. He wanted his house to win, but not when the opposing keeper was so obviously jinxed. But what could he say? What could anyone say? If somebody spoke up they could be fired or go the same way as Charity. Making an accusation wasn't worth it. Minerva just sat tight and tried to keep her temper to a minimum by imagining that the Bludger was instead Alecto's head. Horace looked at her strangely, when she burst out laughing as a Slytherin beater smacked one across the field.

So far Ginny hadn't been too active in the game. She'd stayed out the main play, avoiding Bludgers and other players. Occasionally she would yell encouragement, but otherwise she kept to the shadows. The tactic worked too, because hardly anyone saw her as she went into a head first dive. The Slytherin seeker, _Harper _was the name on his jersey, noticed and sped off towards the point where Ginny was diving. At this point most of the crowd had switched its attention to the seekers. Minerva found herself yelling something she couldn't hear, willing Ginny forward, praying to no one in particular that she caught the Snitch. From the corner of her eye, Minerva saw Alecto draw her wand. Ginny's broom turned around and shot upwards. Minerva swore out loud, getting scathing looks from those around her. But Ginny had been expecting something. At the last minute she threw herself from her broom, landing with a thud on the ground, rolling softly to a stop. She stood up shakily and held her fist in the air. Two tiny wings, bent and fragile, stuck out from beneath her fingers. There was a few seconds of silence and then the Gryffindor stand erupted with cheers of joy. Minerva found herself ringing Horace's hand enthusiastically and leaving her seat to join the sea of red and gold flooding on to the pitch.

She managed to push her way to the front, where the team was being congratulated. All the players turned to her respectfully.

"Well done!" she beamed, for once displaying full emotion in her voice. "Miss Weasley, that was a spectacular catch. The rest of you were amazing too! It's moments like this that make me proud to be a Gryffindor."

"I wasn't amazing." Cassian said, quietly.

"Of course you were!" Yanna said, encouragingly. "That first save was amazing!"

"First and only save." Cassain whispered, miserably, "I missed all the rest. I don't know what happened!"

"Everyone has their off games." said Minerva, gently, doing all she could not to burden them with her Alecto theories.

"I played like an idiot!" Cassian muttered.

"You played like a Gryffindor." Minerva said, sternly, "Odds were against you and yet you didn't give up. You were ready to do whatever it would take, even if it was impossible. It's that quality, even if it is a tad rash, that makes us the house we are."

Cassian smiled, looking mollified. Minerva turned back to the rest of the team.

"Now, go back to the dormitory and we'll all pretend that we don't know about the surprise party that's probably waiting."

Everyone clapped appreciatively and joined the stream of people heading back to the castle.

Rolanda ran up behind Minerva and gave her a hug.

"Congratulations," she grinned, "Gryffindor are still champions!"

Minerva smiled.

"Thanks. It's good to see you back to your cheerful self."

"Quidditch is my drug of choice, everybody knows that."

She got very solemn.

"Minerva, I'm sorry about your goalkeeper. Something was obviously wrong, but I couldn't see anything so I didn't want to call it!"

"That's fine," Minerva said, a little bluntly, "You did what you could. Hang on, what's happening here?"

A small crowd had gathered. In the centre were two boys, both in Quidditch robes, one Gryffindor, one Slytherin. The Gryffindor player was Colin Creevy and Minerva recognized the other boy as the Slytherin keeper. They were wrestling each other, throwing random punches. Minerva ran forward and forced them both backwards with a flick of her wand.

"Ten points from Gryffindor, ten points from Slytherin!" she said, curtly. "What is the meaning of this?"

"He's a mudblood." the Slytherin boy spat, "He's a filthy mudblood and everyone knows it! He shouldn't even be here."

"But he is here," Minerva rebutted, "and if he's here then the Headmaster must be happy with his status. Do you want to take this to the Headmaster? Do you want to question his judgement?"

The Slytherin boy shook his head grudgingly and shuffled away.

"Well, move along all of you." Minerva snapped at the crowd.

She then turned on Colin, who was standing with a defensive looking Demelza Robins.

"You know better then this, Colin. Fighting? Really?"

Colin looked at his feet, but Demelza put both hands on her hips.

"That idiot called him a mudblood. He's not!" she protested.

"I know, certainly, that he is not a mudblood." Minerva said, slowly. Still she raised an eyebrow.

"He's my cousin!" Demelza said, passionately, as if daring the professor to challenge it.

She didn't, though she knew it wasn't true.

"Good girl." Minerva whispered, proudly. "Now get Mr Creevy to the hospital wing. I don't like the look of that cut lip."

She watched as her two students walked away. The Quidditch atmosphere made her glad to be back at school, but what she had just witnessed made her glad to be alive. Here was a girl putting everything on the line, risking her life, to help a friend. It was that kind of spirit that would get them through this dark time. Minerva smiled and silently awarded ten to Demelza. Ten, in her opinion, of the most well deserved points ever earned.


	9. Chapter9:The Courage of Lions and Eagles

Chapter 9: The Courage of Lions and Eagles

It didn't take long for Alecto to get her own back. Finding any excuse to punish Gryffindor students, she had single handedly managed to take their points down to a total of 16 and was still removing them at every opportunity. However she soon discovered that it wasn't really having the desired effect.

Instead of feeling ashamed at the lack of rubies in their hour-glass, the students took every demerit as a proud battle scar. Some had even gone so far as to make a game out of it, seeing how many they could lose in a day, joking that they would have the house in to negatives before Christmas. Minerva was only slightly ashamed to say she did nothing to discourage it. Rolanda and Filius were perfectly unashamed to say that they encouraged it. Filius had gotten in to the habit of awarding fifty random points to his Gryffindor class and there was a rumour floating around that Rolanda had started an unground betting ring with a group of Hufflepuff sixth years, taking money on who would lose the most. Last Minerva had heard, Seamus Finnigan and Neville Longbottom were tied with sixty points in the space of an hour.

But it was the entire school, not just the Gryffindors, that had been inspired by the Quidditch match. Students seemed to be in better spirits, laughing and joking between classes, the corridors filled with excited voices. Everyone seemed to be closer then usual, with the usual distinctive groups of houses disappearing. Reds, blues and yellows mixed in groups, the house rivalry being overcome by the common goal. The school was more united than ever.

The teachers and staff were also coming together. Minerva found herself playing a perfectly enjoyable game of chess with Sybill, a person whom she would normally have nothing to do with. Needless to say, she gave Sybill a complete thrashing, but it was pleasantly surprising for both women to find they could spend time in each other's company without becoming infuriated. Hagrid, who usually spent his time in his hut, had started coming to the staffroom in the evenings, holding intense conversations with Pomona about various plants and creatures. Filius and Poppy spent an increasing amount of time together, something which Rolanda and Minerva took every opportunity to point out. Minerva would smile and nod as Poppy went on about how he was "just a friend", not believing what she said for a second. Even Cuthbert, Hogwarts' only ghost teacher, had started attending meals in the Great Hall.

The Carrows seemed to be losing their grip slightly. When ever they made threats, people would smile sweetly, say something sarcastic or simply not acknowledge their existence. It was a dangerous game, but somehow everyone was pulling it off. It wasn't, however, something that would last, Minerva knew. Eventually something would happen that would put the Carrows back on top. She was aware of the thin line they were walking along, aware that the slightest thing could derail everything. She was extra alert, waking at the tiniest sound, turning at every footstep.

Her state of alertness meant that she heard the footsteps and the whispering of voices outside her rooms one night. Minerva sat up in bed and leaned sideways, in an attempt to hear better. The voices were muffled, but she could tell they belonged to students. Students out of bed. There was a time when this had made her angry. Now days it just made her scared. In the past it had been against the rules, but there had been few occasions when sneaking out of a dorm was life threatening. Sneaking out now would be declaring your defiance to the system and that could definitely kill you.

Minerva got up and pulled on her tartan dressing gown. She stepped gingerly into her slippers and twisted her hair into a quick bun. If there were students out of bed she would have to find them, before Amycus or Alecto did.

Opening her door slowly, she slipped into the hallway. It was cold, the air packing around her like a thick fog. A few candles flickered dimly, small patches of their light breaking the darkness. It was silent, her slow, steady breathing all she could hear. Minerva put her hand in her dressing gown pocket. Her fingers gently closed around her wand, caressing the polished wood. With careful steps, she went down the corridor, her slippers making no noise.

The school was a strange place at night. Granted, it was a strange during the day, but the darkness brought with it an air of cool mystery that shrouded the halls like a clock. Minerva had walked these halls many times before, but it was only now she really noticed how sinister each portrait appeared, how each shadow twisted on the walls and how each statue was distorted and pulled out of shape by the moonlight. She shivered, wishing she was back in her bedroom.

Minerva walked a little further, before spinning around to head towards the origin of a scream that pierced that air. Voices were yelling, raised in conflict. Minerva felt her blood run cold, as she turned a corner and saw the source of the noise. Three students were being led from the Headmaster's office by a livid Amycus, a furious Alecto and a surprisingly calm Snape. Amycus had Neville Longbottom by the scruff of his neck. His other hand was wrapped tightly around the wrist of a girl with pale, blonde hair, who Minerva knew to be called Luna Lovegood, of Ravenclaw. Alecto was pushing someone with unmistakable red hair. Ginny Weasley pulled herself away defiantly. Minerva hurried forward, her dressing gown flying out behind her. Alecto rushed towards her.

"_Minerva,_" she shrieked, "what impeccable timing! Just perfect! Unless you were in on it too!"

"Alecto, I can't think what you are talking about." Minerva said, her calm voice not betraying any fear. "Amycus, please release Mr Longbottom and Miss Lovegood, you seem to be cutting off their circulation."

"Well they deserve it, the little brats!" Amycus sneered, "After what they've done!"

"As I've already told your sister, I don't have the faintest clue what this is about." Minerva said, icily.

"They tried to break into my office," Snape said, quietly, "to steal this."

In his hand was an ornate silver sword with a ruby encrusted hilt. The words _Godric Gryffindor _were carved into the blade. Minerva blanched and turned to look at the three captives.

"They're trying to pass it to Harry Potter!" Amycus yelled.

"There's no proof of that." Minerva whispered, a little too quickly. "And keep your voice down, Amycus. It's the middle of the night."

"Exactly." Alecto snarled, "Not really the time for an innocent stroll."

"I don't deny they shouldn't be out of bed." said Minerva. "They will be punished accordingly."

"Oh they definitely will!" Alecto breathed, taking her wand from her robes.

Minerva reached in her pocket and removed her own wand, pointing it with a flick at Alecto's chest. Her opponent threw her head back and laughed.

"Oh this is good, this is good." Alecto clapped, "You think you can take me, old woman? People tell me you're powerful, but so far I haven't seen any evidence of that. You hide behind your reputation but, when it comes to the crunch, you just can't deliver."

"Alecto, step down." Snape said, quickly.

"_Minerva McGonagall_," Alecto mocked, "you're such a big talker! First to make a suggestion, last to act! Well, now's your opportunity to do something for your cause. Curse me! Curse me, old woman, _I dare you_!"

"ALECTO, STEP DOWN!" Snape roared. "Take the students to their dorms, Minerva. They can all serve a detention in the Forbidden Forest. Professor Hagrid will be informed in the morning."

He spun around and retreated in to his office, but before he did, he looked at Minerva.

"If these accusations are proved," he whispered, "I can assure you, their punishment will be much more serious."

Alecto and Amycus stalked off into the darkness, leaving Minerva standing alone with Neville, Ginny and Luna. She turned furiously to face them and motioned towards an unlocked classroom.


	10. Chapter 10: Conversations with the Dead

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **This chapter is for JustaBitBored, whose witty comments and continual support make writing this story all the more enjoyable.

Chapter 10: Conversations with the Dead

"What - _in - the - name - of - Merlin - _where you lot thinking!" Minerva shouted, when she had slammed the door to the classroom.

Ginny, Luna and Neville leant against some desks, not looking the least bit ashamed.

"We had to do it, Professor!" Neville said. "That sword belongs to Harry. Dumbledore left it to him in his will!"

"So it's true then!" Minerva said, "You seriously tried to break in to Snape's office, to steal the sword of Gryffindor?"

"Because it belongs to Harry!" Luna piped up, her distant, far away voice more clear then usual.

"That is unfortunately incorrect, Miss Lovegood." Minerva corrected her, "The sword may present itself to any worthy Gryffindor."

"Who's more worthy than Harry?" Neville shouted.

"Potter is unquestionably worthy, Mr Longbottom. But if he is in need of the sword, then it will go to him. It doesn't need a bunch of barely of age students to help it along! I can't understand your reasoning in this matter!"

"We had to do something," Ginny said, coolly, "because nobody else is doing anything."

"What's that, Miss Weasley?" Minerva said, in a clipped voice.

"Nobody is doing anything!" Ginny yelled, "No one is speaking out against Snape! Everyone's just sitting around, twiddling their thumbs, acting like things are fine! News flash, Professor, You-Know-Who is out there and his faithful puppet is pulling the strings at this school. Our school! And we're doing nothing about it! Well, you're doing nothing about it."

When Minerva didn't interrupt her, Ginny continued.

"I really thought things would be different. I didn't think the teachers would stand for this. Mum didn't really want me to come back to Hogwarts. But I told her that it would be fine, because people like you would be here. "Professor McGonagall will handle it." I told her. But you're not even trying! I knew you were a stickler for the rules, I just didn't know you were also a coward!"

Ginny broke off, breathing heavily. She looked up at Minerva, her brown eyes blazing. Minerva didn't say anything for quite sometime. The wall built up behind her eyes, hiding the emotion, momentarily disappeared, revealing a look of deep hurt. Her mouth was open slightly, still shocked at Ginny's words. Her hands twitched.

"Thank you for that, Miss Weasley." Minerva whispered finally, her voice devoid of any feeling.

She turned slowly and made her way out of the classroom, leaving the three students sitting there.

She slammed the door and lent up against the wall, a tear falling down her cheek. Her chest heaved up and down, taking staggered breaths. Her mind spun, the word _Coward _repeating in her head. She began to run, not stopping until she came to the entrance hall. With a swipe of her hand, Minerva made the doors open, revealing the moonlit courtyard. The stone archways leered in the darkness. A fountain gently whispered away, the water glinting with the light from the moon.

She ran outside and sank down beneath one of the archways. How could Ginny Weasley say that? She had always respected the girl, admired her a little even. Ginny had always been a good student and a good person, never one to be unjustly mean to anyone. She was a passionate child to be sure, but she had no right to call Minerva a coward! Both were Gryffindors, for crying out loud, and Gryffindors aren't cowards. There was a fine between bravery and stupidity and she, Minerva McGonagall, knew the difference.

"I'm not a _coward_!" Minerva cried out loud.

"No one would say otherwise, dear lady." a warm voice said.

Minerva lifted her head to see a man had come to the courtyard. He had long curly hair, a pleasant smile and was wearing a large ruff around his neck. But he was not an ordinary man. You could see right through him. Literally, not figuratively. He was completely transparent, his entire body made of shimmering white. He was also hovering about a foot above the ground. The man was called Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington and he had been the Gryffindor ghost for around five-hundred years.

"Sir Nicholas." Minerva said, quietly.

She wiped her eyes with her sleeve. Sir Nicholas smiled kindly.

"I'd offer you my handkerchief," he said, "but as it's the same consistency as me..."

Minerva, caught between a laugh and a sob, made a small sound that sounded like a hiccup.

"Now, what troubles you?" Sir Nicholas inquired.

Minerva shook her head, "it's nothing, I'm just being stupid."

"I've known you for quite sometime." he said, "I know that you are not stupid, nor do you cry for no reason. But if you do not wish to tell me, well, that is your business."

Minerva looked at the ground, then back up at Nicholas.

"Nick," she said, in an uncharacteristically small voice, "do you think I'm a coward?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Do you think I'm a coward?"

"Of course I don't!" Sir Nicholas exclaimed, "What on earth has brought this on?"

"Nothing." Minerva mumbled, "I just heard it somewhere."

"Well it's completely insane!" Sir Nicholas said, "No one in their right mind would think you a coward. You've been standing up for staff and students alike ever since you started teaching. You are Minerva McGonagall. Smart, sensible, brave and courageous."

Minerva laughed, "it all sounds rather good when you put it like that. Still, you forgot stubborn, bad tempered and overly opinionated."

Sir Nicholas joined in the laughter.

"The fact you can admit your own failings proves you are not a coward." he said. "If you want to see a real coward, just look at me."

"You're not a coward." Minerva said, kindly.

"You're very sweet," Sir Nicholas smiled, "but I am a coward and that is the truth. I am sitting here, talking to you, because I am one. I couldn't face death, so I chose this half hearted attempt at life. At the time I thought I was being clever, like I was somehow out smarting Death. It's what everyone thinks. Choose eternal "life" and walk the earth forever. But it's not life. And only after you make the choice, do you realize that Death has cheated you. In the game of coming and going, Death always wins and it is better to go out with your head held high, than to hover between worlds, a testament to your own cowardice. I am a coward. I wasn't strong enough to move on and I will forever pay the price."

He looked up at the sky, his already cloudy eyes misted over. Minerva could see the moon through his head. She knew it was rude to look through someone, but she couldn't really help it. Sir Nicholas saw and smiled again, this time a little sadly.

"You see the moon takes no pity on my tragic tale." he said, "It shines regardless. It takes no sides, doing only the job to which it was assigned. Constant and unchanging."

"But even the moon has it's phases." Minerva said.

Sir Nicholas nodded, "true, so very true. But you always know it is there. A lot like you, Minerva. Though you may be, as you say, a little stubborn, you are always there to give your light to anyone who should require it."

"Now you're starting to sound like a centaur." Minerva grinned.

"I shall take that as a compliment!" Sir Nicholas said. "Centaurs are very wise creatures."

"A bit like you." said Minerva, looking up once more at her ghostly companion.

"I should hope so!" Sir Nicholas cried, "I've been practicing for over five-hundred years."

They sat in silence for a long while, the sound of the fountain taking centre stage. Minerva sat, thinking about the conversation she had just had. She thought about Ginny Weasley and she began to forgive her. After all, she had endured worser names during her time as a professor and Ginny hadn't really meant it. Sir Nicholas sat, staring up at the stars. Minerva wondered what he thought about. She wondered what he had thought about for the past five-hundred years. Five-hundred years, spent neither here nor there. And he still greeted everyone with a smile on his face.

After awhile, Minerva said, "you're not a coward, Nick."

"Neither are you." was his reply.

Minerva looked at the sky and said simply, "I know."


	11. Chapter 11: RHooch: Queen of Good Ideas

Chapter 11: R. Hooch: Queen of Good Ideas

The Christmas holidays came quicker than usual. Minerva suspected this was a trick of her mind, rather than the actual speeding of time. She needed Christmas. She needed something to take her mind off things. Ever since their confrontation in the corridor, Alecto had done her very best to make Minerva's life a living hell. She'd make comments in the staffroom, comments that couldn't be retaliated due to the presence of a certain headmaster. She'd make jokes behind Minerva's back with Slytherin students (she'd tried to include Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff but they weren't having a bar of it). She'd been particularly vindictive towards anyone in Gryffindor, handing out detentions before they'd even done anything to warrant one.

The whole school was taking a pounding from Snape and the Carrows. Some school policies, reminiscent of the Dolores Umbridge period, had come into effect, banning gatherings of three or more students. This was due to a recent out cry from Dumbledore's Army, with fresh graffiti springing up everywhere. The rebellion in Carrow classrooms had reached crisis levels and the demand for detentions was outstripping the supply, even with Alecto's lust for blood. Minerva soon discovered that the proposed solution was to use Defence Against the Dark Arts to punish offenders. After seeing several pupils leave class with cuts and bloody noses, she went on an investigation and, to her horror, found Unforgivable Curses being used on second years. Outraged and disgusted, Minerva decided to take it to the staffroom, in an attempt to start a little rebellion of her own.

She threw open the door and marched inside, hands on hips, ready to make a scene. The first thing that hit her was the atmosphere. It was damp and depressing, like someone had punctured the air and everything was slowly deflating. The faces of her colleagues were sad, replicating perfectly the mood of the room. Poppy looked up at her and gave a weak smile.

"What's happened?" Minerva asked, solemnly.

"Death Eaters," Filius stated, his face blank with disbelief, "have taken one of my students from the Hogwarts Express."

Minerva staggered into a chair and quickly sat down, all the blood draining from her face. It took several seconds for the whole thing to sink in properly. A student, a Hogwarts student, had been captured, taken from right beneath their noses. They, the teachers, had failed.

"Who?" Minerva whispered.

"Luna Lovegood." Filius said. "Xenophilius' girl. She was going home for Christmas when she was taken by force from the train."

"Sixth year, wasn't she?" Septima asked, "With long, blonde hair and that intense stare?"

Filius nodded.

"Sweet wee thing." Pomona said, affectionately. "Always made conversation with the plants in the Greenhouse."

"Best - Quidditch - Commentator - Ever!" Rolanda said firmly.

"Strange girl." Horace said, gruffly. "I'll miss her."

"We shouldn't talk as though she's dead!" Poppy exclaimed, "There's a high chance they're keeping her alive and holding her hostage."

"Big ask though." Rolanda muttered, "Expecting a kid to survive imprisonment where older and greater sorcerers have met their end."

"Lovegood's a fighter!" Minerva said, bluntly. "The normal rules of the universe don't seem to apply to her. If anyone can survive, she can."

"And it shows they're worried, doesn't it!" Aurora whispered, excitedly, "I mean, why take a captive if she wasn't causing a stir?"

"Fair point." Filius nodded, "Her and her father have both been outspoken Harry Potter supporters since the beginning. It was only a matter of time before somebody stopped them."

The staffroom was quiet for awhile, before Rolanda declared,

"It's Christmas! We need to be doing something to take our minds off things and I have the perfect suggestion!"

"Oh _joy_," Septima said, sarcastically, "Rolanda has a plan."

"They don't call me The Queen of Good Ideas for no reason!" Rolanda beamed.

"They _don't _call you The Queen of Good Ideas!" Poppy said.

"For a _very _good reason!" Minerva added.

Rolanda scowled, but was not deterred.

"When you look outside, at that winter wonderland," she said, pointing to the snowy grounds beyond the window, "what is the first thing you think of?"

"Securing the Greenhouses." Pomona said.

"De-icing the telescopes." Aurora added.

"Colds, flu and frostbite." said Poppy.

"That's the problem with you people!" Rolanda protested, "You're all work and no play."

"What do you think of then?" Pomona asked, slightly affronted.

"I see the snow and I think... _sledding_."

"Sledding?" Minerva asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Yes!" Rolanda said, indignantly. "We all did it when we were young (young-_er_. Happy, Septima?) and there's no point in denying it. Sledding was my favourite winter sport!"

"Oh yes," Minerva said, "because there's nothing like hurtling down a hill at a million miles an hour, with snow, water and God knows what else flying in your face!"

"Exactly!" Rolanda said, enthusiastically.

"I used to go sledding." Filius said, in rather dreamy voice. "I went with my cousins. We'd search all day for the biggest hill and then, when we'd found it, we'd completely chicken out and run back home. But we'd cover ourselves in snow first, just so everyone would think we'd done it."

"That's so sweet." Poppy whispered.

Filius blushed a little. They stared at each other for a full minute, before Rolanda plonked herself in between them on the couch and said,

"When you two lovebirds arrive at the station of reality, I'd like to propose that we meet out at the slope down to the lake in an hour. I'll go to the kitchens and fetch some baking trays!"

And, before anyone could say no, she raced out of the room, humming something that sounded a lot like _Weasley is our king_.

Minerva didn't really want to go sledding. She wanted to lead a revolution against the Carrows, as she had tried to tell Rolanda countless times. But Rolanda just told her she was a sourpuss and that she couldn't exactly overthrow the Carrows in the space of an afternoon, so why not go sledding instead? In Minerva's opinion, this was a weak argument, but she had folded and now found herself walking through the courtyard, towards the hill that led to the lake. As she went across the snowy ground, somebody called out to her.

"Professor!" Ginny Weasley called, running to meet her.

Minerva stiffened up. She hadn't spoken to Ginny out of class since the sword incident, with both witches just pretending it didn't happen.

"I just wanted to apologize," Ginny said, humbly, "for what I said about you being a coward."

"That was a long time ago, Miss Weasley." Minerva said, "I can assure you it's fine."

"It isn't though!" Ginny insisted, "I was completely out of order. I just got frustrated and lashed out. I know you're not a coward."

Minerva smiled and nodded a thanks.

"Where are you headed, Professor? If you don't mind me asking." said Ginny. "Sledding." Minerva said, a little sheepishly.

Ginny grinned, "have fun with that!" and she ran off towards the castle, leaving Minerva to continue on alone.

The sledding had already started when Minerva got there. Poppy was climbing back up the hill, baking tray in hand, pink faced and smiling like an idiot.

"This is insanity!" she yelled, "Pure, blissful insanity!"

Minerva watched as Septima sped down the slope, screaming as she went.

"Would Miss High-And-Mighty like to borrow my tray?" Rolanda asked, in a tone of mock politeness.

Minerva took it gingerly and placed at her feet. With careful steps, she lowered herself to the ground and sat down. She had barely adjusted her sitting position, when Rolanda snuck up behind and gave her a forceful push, sending her down the hill at top speed. It was like nothing she had ever experienced before. The cold air rushed past her face, forcing her to open her eyes as wide as they could go. Adrenaline surged through her body, as she barely missed a rock that protruded from the snow. She knew what Poppy meant. It was insanity and she was loving every second.

She climbed back to the top to find the staff were no longer alone. Students, of all different shapes and sizes, had descended on the hill and were now throwing themselves down it. A burly looking Ravenclaw boy muttered, "do you mind if we join you?"

Minerva shrugged, "last time I checked, it was a free hill." and the boy went whizzing down after his friends.

People continued to come and soon the air was filled with the sound of laughter and playful screaming. Minerva looked at Rolanda, a huge grin on her face.

"You are a complete -"

"Unrecognized and undervalued genius?" Rolanda asked, "I get that a lot."

"This is amazing!" Minerva smiled.

Rolanda said, "you wanted to lead a revolution. I reckon this counts. What better way to defy the Carrows, than to show them they can't beat the spirit out of us!"

Minerva sighed in amazement at the hundreds of people all around her.

"Merry Christmas, Rolanda." she said.

"Merry Christmas, Minerva."


	12. Chapter 12: Hagrid's Departure

Chapter 12: Hagrid's Departure

The fading light of the afternoon gave the corridor a warm, pleasant glow. The Christmas holidays had come and gone, students had returned for the new term and the snow had long since melted away. Minerva walked slowly down the hall, her arms folded against her chest, feeling quite content with the world. Late afternoon was her favourite part of day, the golden colours and lazy feeling calming her down inside. Most of the students were either outside, in their dormitories or in the library at this time, so Minerva had most of the corridors to herself. She would wander through the stone halls, thinking about life and anything else that occurred to her. Her current topic of deliberation, brought on by her midnight conversations with Nick (now a regular occurrence), was life as a ghost and whether or not she would be able to handle it. She liked to think, on the whole, that she would be able to bare it quite tolerably. Actually, if she was honest, she didn't think she'd become a ghost in the first place. "Moving on", as some people put it, was too much of a learning opportunity for Minerva to miss.

She'd come pretty close to "moving on" over the past few weeks. Alecto's vendetta against her was now mutual and Minerva had lost count of the times someone had to tear them apart before a duel broke out. Rolanda's betting ring, rumour had it, was now taking bets on which of them would kill the other first. Minerva had come very close to winning, when she'd confronted Alecto about the Unforgivable Curse detentions. Alecto had denied everything and Minerva almost snapped, Pomona pulling her away at the last minute. She'd avoided Alecto after that, not sure if she could handle another heated confrontation. Thankfully Snape hadn't heard any of this. Either that or he was choosing to ignore it. It didn't really matter to Minerva, as Snape keeping his abnormally hooked nose out her business was just fine, thank you very much.

Snape kept to his office most of the time, his noticeable absence making Minerva's afternoon all the more enjoyable. In fact, it was the best afternoon she'd had in a long time and she was determined that nothing, _absolutely nothing_, was going to spoil it. But, as is often the case with perfect afternoons, it wasn't going to last. Something was about to happen that would ruin Minerva's day, week and possibly year.

She turned a corner and bumped into a trio of first years, their blue ties indicating a Ravenclaw allegiance.

"Sorry." she said, cheerfully.

The boy at the front had dropped what appeared to be a long strip of material. He hastily gathered it up again, looking extremely nervous. They all looked rather nervous, Minerva noted. By the time the boy had finished stuffing the white cloth in to a ball, she was more than a little suspicious.

"Can I please see what you are holding?" she asked.

The boy shook his head, an action that didn't support innocence. Minerva put on her sternest expression and held out her hand. Reluctantly, the boy gave it to her. She unfurled it and gasped. Written in big, block letters were the words _SUPPORT HARRY POTTER_. Minerva looked from the banner to the students to the banner again. Did they not understand the danger of carrying something like this?

"Where you get this?" she asked, weakly.

"We made it." a little girl with pigtails said.

"And why, may I ask, did you do that?"

"It's for a party. A Support Harry Potter party."

"What?" Minerva blurted out, "When, where, who? WHY?"

"It's down at Professor Hagrid's hut. Anyone can go, as long they're loyal to Harry."

That was all Minerva needed to hear. She dropped the banner and sprinted down a flight of stairs. As she ran towards the doors, she met up with a frantic looking Pomona Sprout.

"Minerva!" Pomona gasped, "Minerva, Hagrid's holding a Support Harry Potter party, down at his hut."

"How do you know about that?" Minerva asked.

"I heard from Sir Nicholas, who heard from the Fat Friar, who heard from Susan Bones, who heard from Hannah Abbott, who heard from Ginny Weasley, who heard from-"

"GET TO THE POINT WOMAN!"

"- Neville Longbottom, who heard from Seamus Finnigan that Amycus Carrow is bringing Death Eaters and Ministry officials down there to arrest Hagrid as we speak. How Mr Finnigan found out, I'm not quite sure but -"

"POMONA, DOES THAT REALLY MATTER?"

"No, I guess not." the squat Herbology witch apologized. "Minerva, there are students down there! What are we going to do?"

Minerva thought for a moment.

"Go the Greenhouses. I'll sneak down to Hagrid's hut. I can put the students under a disillusionment charm and send them up to you. Hopefully the Death Eaters will be too preoccupied with Hagrid to notice anything."

Pomona nodded. "How are you going to get down there?"

"I'll take the back exit and sneak round, stick to the trees. I'll be careful, Mona, don't worry."

The two women split up, with Minerva taking the back stairs. She went down a passage that led to a small door at the back of the castle, a passage probably only she, Filch and the Weasley twins knew about. Creeping along the side of the castle, she glanced in the direction of Hagrid's hut. Several cloaked figures were making their way towards it. Through the window, Minerva could see Hagrid crouched down. She ran across a stretch of grass, taking quick steps, and quietly knocked on Hagrid's back door.

"Hagrid!" she hissed, "Hagrid, it's me."

Hagrid opened the door slightly and peeked out. Seeing who it was, he opened the door fully.

"Professor! The Death Eaters are comin' this way!" he whispered, nervously.

"I can see that!" Minerva snapped, a little sharper than she had originally intended. "I've come to get the students out."

Hagrid stepped aside and five first years came to the door, wearing brightly coloured _Harry Potter _badges that contrasted nicely with their looks of terror. Minerva beckoned them outside and pulled the badges off their robes.

"Listen carefully." she whispered, "I'm going to put a spell on all of you, that will make you blend into your surroundings. Once I have done so, you will run to the Greenhouses, where you will met by Professor Sprout. You do not stop, you do not go anywhere else, is that understood? Good."

She tapped each student on the head and one by one they melted into the air. When they were fully gone, Minerva told them to start running. Then she turned back to Hagrid.

"What, in the name of all that is good and holy, were you thinking?" she sighed.

Hagrid hung his head.

"Sorry, Professor. I know I shouldn'ta, but I had to do summat for Harry!"

Minerva kindly placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it now. We have to get you away from here!"

Hagrid shook his head. "Don' you try an' help me! Hogwarts needs you here! I can take care of it myself."

"Hagrid -"

"Get outta here, Professor. Hold the fort while I'm gone."

Reluctantly, Minerva cast a disillusionment charm on herself and ran towards the Greenhouses. She turned back to see Hagrid throw open the door and run into the forest with his dog, Fang, Death Eaters in hot pursuit. Though she desperately wanted to go after him, she knew she wouldn't be doing him, or anyone else, any favours. He disappeared out of sight and Minerva felt like a part of Hogwarts had just been torn out from under her feet. His hut stood empty, a shell of what it once was. Minerva could relate to that.


	13. Chapter 13: Revenge at Last

Chapter 13: Revenge at Last

Minerva finally turned away from Hagrid's hut. A tear had managed to escape her eyes. She brushed it away, glad no one could see her. Hagrid was gone. He was almost as Hogwarts as Gryffindor and Albus, and now he was gone. Hopefully he'd gotten away safely and was now on the run. She wasn't sure where he would go. Hogwarts had been his home for so long. Hogwarts had been a home for so many, a home made unlivable by the Death Eaters. Minerva clenched her fists. One day she would reclaim the school. One day she would lead the resistance and change the world. She sighed and hung her head. Not today. Today there were other things to do, other people to think of. No, she would not, she could not change the world today.

She removed her disillusionment charm and put her wand back in her robes. She walked slowly towards the Greenhouses, to meet Pomona and the students she had just sent up there. She suddenly stopped in her tracks and narrowed her eyes. The unmistakably square figure of Alecto Carrow was strutting towards the Greenhouses, head held high. Minerva felt the fire inside her climax to an inferno. She ran the rest of the way and gained composure before entering.

"What is this?" Alecto was saying, "Remedial Herbology?"

Pomona and the five first years stood stock still. It was hard to tell whether they were still breathing.

"I knew Hufflepuffs were stupid," Alecto went on, "but Ravenclaws as well? This is almost too delightful. Unless, something else is going on here? Something not _exactly permitted_!"

"Have you come to lay actual charges?" Minerva said, her voice filled with venom. "Or are you just here to throw your considerable body weight around?"

"Minerva!" Alecto said through gritted teeth, an evil smile painted on her face. "How fortunate it is, that you should choose this exact moment to join us. I was just assisting Pomona in this sweet little teaching session. Young minds are, after all, the most impressionable."

"Don't you dare lay one of your filthy fingers on my students!" said Minerva.

The smile fell away from Alecto face, leaving in it's place an ugly scowl.

"Not here to play _nice_, are we Minerva?" she hissed, her voice dangerously low.

"When you play with pigs, you must be prepared to get dirty." Minerva retaliated.

"That's exactly what I'm here to do." Alecto said, "One gets rather dirty, playing with the scum at your pathetic little school."

"You'd know all about playing with scum, wouldn't you, Alecto?" said Minerva, a look of utter contempt in her eyes.

"Watch it, old woman." Alecto snarled, "You might just go the same way as your precious leader."

"I'd be honoured! But not today, I assure you." Minerva whispered.

"Honoured?" Alecto scoffed, "Honoured to fall to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut? What strange things come from your deluded mind!"

"Alas, it is you who is deluded. You're deluded if you even begin to think you can hurt the students of Hogwarts!" Minerva cried, passionately.

Alecto laughed coldly.

"Because you've done a remarkable job of protecting them so far! Really wonderful!" "I'm glad you brought it up, Alecto!" Minerva said, "If you don't cease using your sadistic methods of punishment, I will have no qualms about personally using every Unforgivable Curse I know on you, your sad little brother and any other member of the psychotic society you belong to!"

"Going against the law, Minerva? How very unlike the just defender of Hogwarts!" Alecto smiled maliciously.

""In times of war, the law falls silent"." Minerva quoted, "A quote you should have no trouble relating to!"

"I support the legal system fully." Alecto scowled. "I support the _right _system. Your dying little movement is a very different thing."

"Obviously!" Minerva spat. "The system I abide by wouldn't sink as low as the psychopathic trash you associate with. Torturing eleven year olds to stay in power! Oh - how - the - mighty - have - fallen!"

_BANG_

A green jet of light shot past Minerva's cheek. Alecto had her wand out, her hand shaking.

"You will not speak of the Dark Lord in such a way, you half blood scum!"

"I heard some where your master is a half blood too!" Minerva yelled, pulling her own wand out. "What does that make him?"

"The Dark Lord is a great and powerful wizard!" Alecto shrieked.

"Albus Dumbledore is a hundred times the better wizard and he's _dead_!" Minerva shouted.

She flicked her wand at Alecto, sending red beams at her chest. Alecto dived behind a shelf of plants and threw more jets at Minerva, who deflected them all.

"You told me you could take me, Alecto!" Minerva laughed, "You told me you could handle the game! Why don't you start playing it?"

Alecto made a noise like an angry cat and sent the plants flying, smashing the pots against the Greenhouse walls. Miraculously, none of the glass broke and, somehow, Pomona and the first years will still unscathed. Minerva took advantage of her opponent's lack of cover. A line of fire ran across the floor, surrounding Alecto is a dancing circle.

"Bit hot under the collar?" Minerva asked, sweetly. "Let me help you!"

A wave of water rose up from a near by watering can. It doubled, then tripled in size, filling half of the Greenhouse. Bubbles streamed from Alecto's mouth. She thrashed around inside her watery prison, getting angrier by the second. Minerva dropped her wand to her side and Alecto fell to the ground, coughing and spluttering.

"You think you're so clever!" she choked.

"As I've already told you, Alecto," Minerva said, calmly, "yes, yes I do."

With a flick of her wand, Minerva sent Alecto flying across the room. She bounced off the wall and fell silent, her head slumped forward.

The first years broke into scattered applause. Pomona took a long, drawn out breath and started hyperventilating. Minerva went to Alecto and checked her pulse.

"Not dead, unfortunately."

She looked out the windows.

"Oh dear. The Death Eaters are coming back. Pomona, what do we do?"

"We obliviate this part of her memory," Pomona said, coming to her senses, "and we take her to Poppy. Poppy won't ask questions."

"Must we?" Minerva moaned. "I wanted her to remember this moment forever!"

"Darling, it was wonderful, you cleaned up and I almost died, _but_ if we leave her like this, then what happens when she comes round and starts shooting her mouth off? They'd murder you, Minerva, and I'm not using an expression. You would die!"

In the end Minerva agreed to take Alecto to the Hospital Wing. They wiped the last hour of her memory, sent the first years on their way (with the promise they would spend a month in the dungeon if they said anything) and levitated her into the castle.

"Don't ask." Minerva said, when Poppy came to greet them.

"I wasn't going to." Poppy replied.

She laid Alecto down in a bed near the door. Minerva and Pomona hurried away, just as Alecto started to stir.

"You've had an accident, Professor Carrow. Fell down some stairs, I believe." came Poppy's sweet-as-honey matron voice.

Minerva smiled. Revenge, even if it was forgotten, was a sweet thing.


	14. Chapter 14: A Late Night Staff Meeting

Chapter 14: A Late Night Staff Meeting

Minerva looked around a corner, checking that neither students nor Carrows were lurking about. She moved swiftly, not lingering in the open once she had started walking. She was headed to Aurora Sinistra's room in the Astronomy Tower. Why she was going, she had no real idea. Rolanda had left her a secret message, telling her to come at this time. Well, if you can call scribbling on somebody's mirror with lipstick a secret message. It had taken Minerva half a day to clean it off, finding that Rolanda had used _Magic Miss: Colour Stay Lipstick_, a brand famous for being _water and magic proof_. She had plenty of time to do it though. The Easter Holidays, while not as enjoyable as the Christmas ones, were still a welcome break and the perfect time to catch up on chores that would otherwise go unnoticed.

Chores weren't the only thing that had gone unnoticed. Due to Minerva's expert charm, Alecto didn't remember a thing about what had happened in the Greenhouse. There had been murmurs around the school, each version more garbled than the last, but Alecto was quick to dismiss them. After all, she _would _know if Minerva McGonagall had completely pulverized her. Something (maybe the whispering) had made her meaner over the past weeks. She'd gone so far as to curse a student during breakfast, just to remind people what she could do. Minerva and many other staff members had been furious, refraining from fighting only because Snape happened to enter the Great Hall straight after. Snape still posed a great threat, his connections keeping mutiny at bay.

Alecto's public display had sucked away all the warmth that school had worked so hard to regain. It reminded everyone of the real dangers, the dangers that had begun to slip their minds. Most of the underhand dealings at Hogwarts had been masked with smoke and mirrors, but this had been out in the open, making no attempt to hide its true intentions. People began to keep their heads down, no longer wanting to cause a stir.

The loss of Luna Lovegood had somewhat affected Dumbledore's Army, the random bouts of graffiti slowing to a gradual halt. The loss of Hagrid had affected everyone. Minerva found herself missing the sound of his loud voice in the halls, missing his heavy footsteps behind her, missing his undeniable presence wherever he went. They hadn't been close and their relationship was not one that would usually inspire these kinds of emotions, but somehow Hagrid had always seemed, to Minerva, to represent the never changing spirit of Hogwarts. He always seemed to be there, whether you wanted him to be or not. Without him, well, things didn't look so certain.

It was with uncertainty that Minerva now walked down the hall way, heading for the Astronomy tower. For what ever reason she had been summoned, she knew it couldn't be a legal one or the secrecy that surrounded it wouldn't be necessary.

She came to the twisting stairs of the Astronomy tower a few minutes later. With one last glance, she started the climb, bounding up the cold, dark stone with silent strides. It took a few minutes, her limp slightly effecting her performance, but she made it to the top, puffing only a little. She knocked on the wooden door in front of her. It opened slowly.

The room Minerva had just been given access to was Aurora Sinistra's sitting room. She realized, as she entered, she hadn't been up here in a long time, as most people preferred to invite Aurora over to their rooms, instead of having to face the climb. It was quite different from her own sitting room. Minerva's room was structured and tidy, with the furniture, carpet and wallpaper all conforming to a common theme. Aurora's room had an eclectic mix of chairs, sofas, stools and the odd bean bag. Instead of wallpaper and carpet, the room was made of stone, the fire casting a pleasant light on the bricks. A long window, almost stretching floor to ceiling, gave a beautiful view of the rest of the castle. The main difference, between Minerva's and Aurora's sitting room, was that this room was currently filled with people.

Aurora sat on the floor, her red hair twisted into an elegant knot, her floaty chiffon dressing gown spreading out over the floor. Next to her was Septima, her wand out, tapping on a radio, muttering words under her breath. Rolanda stood at the window, her hands behind her back, looking so much like a commanding general, that Minerva suspected she was the mastermind behind the whole thing. Poppy was there, sitting next to Filius and Bathsheda. Pomona had parked herself in a high backed chair, her yawn reminding Minerva of the late hour. Sybill was there, Horace was too. Cuthbert had floated up as well. In fact, the entire teaching staff (with some obvious exceptions) had managed to squeeze itself into the one sitting room.

"Minerva!" Septima smiled, as she came in and sat down. "You're here. Good, now we can start. You took care of the Carrows, Rolanda?"

"Let's just say," Rolanda smirked, "that when they finally wake up, they'll have some unpleasant growths, in unpleasant places, to deal with."

"You mean to say you poisoned them?" Horace asked, his voice shocked.

"Poisoned," Rolanda mused, "is such an ugly word. But since you asked, yes, yes I did."

"Shall we get on?" Poppy sighed.

Septima nodded.

"We have called you all here tonight," she said, formally, "to show you perhaps the greatest form of resistance to date. I speak of a radio broadcast, called _Potterwatch _by those who created it. I've never actually heard a broadcast, but my sources tell me it's a must listen to. It, as the name suggests, supports Harry Potter to the fullest. The sole purpose of _Potterwatch_, so I've been told, is to give the real version of events, the non-ministry edited version. It specializes, you could say, in the truth."

"I'm not entirely sure if this is a good idea." Horace murmured, looking uncomfortable. "It sounds illegal and what if we were to be discovered? We'd be fired and that's the best case scenario! The repercussions are too dangerous to think about."

"_Horace Slughorn_," Pomona hissed, in a dangerous voice, "it's time for you to choose a team and play for it."

"What do you mean by that?" he asked.

"I mean," she said, "are you with us or are you against us?"

"My dear lady," Horace said, in scandalized tones, "of course I'm with you!"

"Then _shut up _and grow a back bone!" Pomona snapped.

Minerva stared at her friend, half amused, half surprised. It was very unlike Pomona to question the loyalty of her colleagues. It was even more unlike her to take an aggressive stance, as she was usually so kind and gentle. Pomona turned away from Horace, slightly red in the face and said gruffly:

"Please continue, Septima."

"Right," Septima said, regaining her composure, "right. There's a broadcast on tonight, I believe. But it's guarded with a password, so I'll need to get the right one."

"Do you know what it could be?" Poppy asked. "Well," Septima replied, "it usually has something to do with-"

"Try _Albus_." Sybill interrupted.

Septima stared at her, then tapped the radio with her wand and whispered. It crackled a bit and then:

"Welcome to _Potterwatch_." said a voice that Minerva had come to know so well on the Quidditch Pitch.

"That's Lee Jordan!" she stammered, looking at Sybill, who wore an expression of quiet smugness.

"She totally guessed that!" Rolanda whispered.

"She _had_ to have guessed that!" Poppy nodded, caught between awe and confusion.

Everyone was quiet, listening with anticipation at what they were about to hear.


	15. Chapter 15: Potterwatch

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **I haven't put a disclaimer at the start of each chapter, but I'm going to say something here. In this chapter there are some parts that were written by J.K.R (they come from _The Deathly Hallows_). I don't claim they are my words and I hope the author of Harry Potter won't mind this little collaboration :)

Chapter 15: Potterwatch

"We apologise for our temporary absence from the airwaves," the voice of Lee Jordan continued, "which was due to a number of house-calls in our area by those charming Death Eaters."

Minerva shivered. Lee had always been a carefree person, but it was strange to hear the words _Death Eater _uttered with such cheerful indifference.

"We have now found ourselves another secure location and I'm pleased to tell you that two of our regular contributors have joined me here this evening. Evening, boys!"

"Hi."

"Evening, River."

"River?" Pomona asked.

"It's a code name, of course." Rolanda said, knowledgeably. "They can't exactly use their own names, in case the broadcast was intercepted."

"But before we hear from Royal and Romulus," said Lee, "let's take a moment to report those deaths that the _Wizarding Wireless Network News _and the _Daily Prophet _don't think important enough to mention."

Minerva felt her heart skip a beat. People were dying out there, she'd be stupid to pretend they weren't. Staying at Hogwarts, she had been cut off from most channels of communication, meaning that a huge number of deaths must have gone unheard of. She closed her eyes and readied herself for what was about to come.

"It is with great regret that we inform our listeners of the murders of Ted Tonks and Dick Cresswell. A goblin by the name of Gornuk was also killed."

Minerva barely stifled a gasp. Next to her, Pomona had a tear running down her cheek. Pomona had been Ted Tonks' head of house, when he was in Hufflepuff some years ago. Septima was staring blankly at the wall. Dick Cresswell, Minerva remembered, was an ex-boyfriend and close friend of Septima's. Minerva knew both men personally, having taught them in their younger years. The goblin, while she did not know him, was a sad loss also.

Lee went on.

"It is believed that Muggle-born Dean Thomas and a second goblin, both believed to be traveling with Tonks, Cresswell and Gornuk, may have escaped. If Dean is listening, or if anyone has any knowledge of his whereabouts, his parents and sisters are desperate for news."

Dean would be okay, Minerva hoped. As his head of house, she knew him to be an intelligent boy who was very capable when he put his mind to it. Never the less, he was still only a boy. Only a boy, despite what his experiences might be doing to him. Minerva shook her head. It was so unfair.

"Meanwhile, in Gaddley," Lee was saying, "a Muggle family of five has been found dead in their home. Muggle authorities are attributing the deaths to a gas leak, but members of the Order of the Phoenix inform me that it was the Killing Curse - more evidence, as if it were needed, of the fact that Muggle slaughter is becoming little more than a recreational sport under the new regime."

Colin Creevy sprang to Minerva's mind. Was his family okay? Did they even know the danger they and their son were in, simply because of the way they were born? There were thousands, probably millions, of Muggles in England alone, who could not possibly know what was going on. They were in the middle of war against them and they didn't even know it.

"Finally," said Lee, "we regret to inform our listeners that the remains of Bathilda Bagshot have been discovered in Godric's Hollow. The evidence is that she died several months ago. The Order of the Phoenix informs us that her body showed unmistakable signs of injuries inflicted by Dark Magic."

A collective group gasp echoed around the room. Bathsheda wiped away a tear.

"I figured something was wrong." she whispered, "We went to school together, you know. I tried to send her an owl before term started, just see if she was all right. But she didn't reply and I now I know why."

She broke down into noisy sobs. Poppy comforted her as they listened to the rest of the report.

"Listeners, I'd like to invite you now to share in a minutes silence in memory of Ted Tonks, Dirk Cresswell, Bathilda Bagshot, Gornuk and the unnamed, but no less regretted, Muggles murdered by Death Eaters."

As complete silence cut the air, Minerva imagined all the other witches and wizards bowing their heads in remembrance. At this moment, they were all connected by tragedy, tying them together in a bittersweet brotherhood. The sacrifices and losses, the bonds that made up the thread pulling them together. No one in the room breathed for that full minute and it was a welcome relief when Lee started to talk again.

"Thank you. And now we turn to regular contributor, Royal, for an update on how the new wizarding order is affecting the Muggle world."

"Thanks, River." said a new voice that was deep, calm and somewhat reassuring.

"Who's that?" Septima asked, twisting a lock of raven black hair around her finger.

"Kingsley Shacklebolt," said Filius, "ex-Auror and current Order leader!"

"I shall have to make his acquaintance," Septima purred, "if he's as gorgeous as his voice."

Minerva rolled her eyes and shot Septima a withering look. There were more important things to think about than socializing!

"Muggles remain ignorant of the source of their suffering as they continue to sustain heavy casualties," Kingsley said, "However we continue to hear truly inspirational stories of wizards and witches risking their own safety to protect Muggle friends and neighbours, often with out Muggles' knowledge. I'd like to appeal to all our listeners to emulate their example, perhaps by casting a protective charm over any Muggle dwellings in your street. Many lives could be saved if such simple measures are taken."

"And what do you say," asked Lee, "Royal, to those listeners who reply that in these dangerous times, it should be "wizards first"?"

Kingsley said, "I'd say that it's one short step from "wizards first" to "purebloods first" and then to "Death Eaters". We're all human, aren't we? Every human life is worth the same and worth saving."

"Excellently put, Royal, and you've got my vote for Minister for Magic if ever we get out of this mess." said Lee.

"He's got _my _vote too!" Septima whispered, to which Minerva responded by aiming a kick under the table.

"And now," Lee said, "over to Romulus for our popular feature: Pals of Potter."

"Thanks, River." came a voice from the radio.

"Remus Lupin!" Pomona said, with a smile.

"He's married now," Minerva said, "and expecting a baby."

"Romulus, do you maintain, as you have every time you've appeared on our program, that Harry Potter is still alive?"

"I do!" Remus said, firmly, "There is no doubt at all in my mind that his death would be-"

A loud stomping noise and the sound of angry voices masked the rest of Remus' sentence. Aurora quietly opened the door, then shut it quickly, a look of sheer terror on her face.

"It's them!" she whispered, frantically, "The Carrows!"

A panicked murmur spread through the room like wildfire. Septima quickly shut off the radio. Rolanda darted into Aurora's bedroom, barricading herself in the wardrobe.

"On to the balcony!" Aurora hissed.

Everyone filed outside, leaving only Aurora and Minerva in the room. Minerva, thinking quickly, had only just transformed into a cat when Alecto threw the door open.

"Who's in here?" she screeched.

"I-I'm in here." Aurora stammered, trying to look puzzled.

"Don't try your cute act on me!" Alecto hissed, " You and your little friends are up here! Something's going on and I know it!"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Alecto." Aurora said. "Really I don't."

"Oh yeah?" Alecto snarled, "Who were you talking to just now. I know I heard someone!"

"I...was talking to...my cat." Aurora said, scooping Minerva up into her arms.

"Your cat?" said Alecto, one eyebrow raised.

"Yes," Aurora laughed, nervously, "Princess and I just love to talk. We share everything. Do you have a pet, Alecto?"

"No, I do not!" she snapped.

It was a weak story, Minerva felt, but it seemed to satisfy Alecto. She turned on her heel and stalked off out of the room. When she was definitely gone, everyone came out of their hiding places and Minerva transformed back.

"_Princess_?" she spat.

"I was thinking under pressure!" Aurora cried, defensively.

"I think the name rather suits you, Minerva." Poppy said, quickly leaving the tower before the remark could be retaliated.

The crowd left in staggers, so as not to attract attention. Before Minerva left, Aurora turned to her and said, in a voice that was quiet and genuine:

"Do you think that Harry Potter is really still out there?"

It was a question that showed her youth, her fears, her doubts and her hopes. It showed so much of her soul, that Minerva felt uncomfortable answering it, just in case she was forced to bare the same amount of her mind.

"Yes. I know he is." she told her colleague.

"And do you think it's true what they're all saying? Do you think he's the chosen one?"

"I only know what I believe."

"And what do you believe?"

"I think it's true what they say. I really believe that this seventeen year old boy was born with the task of defeating the darkest wizard of all time."

She shook her head at the nonsense of what she had just admitted.

"It seems crazy," she said to Aurora, "that I'm putting my hopes in a child."

"We all need to put our hopes in something."

"And what do you put your hopes in?"

"You. And Pomona, Rolanda and Septima. Poppy, Filius, everyone really. I know I can rely on you all. You're pillars of this school, you especially."

The younger witch looked up at her older companion, blues eyes meeting blue eyes, innocence and idealism meeting experience and wisdom.

"When the time comes, Minerva," Aurora said, quietly, "we'll all turn to you for guidance. When the battle comes, I'll follow you into it. Hogwarts expects you to take charge and I'll support you the whole way. Everyone else will too, don't worry about that."

Minerva smiled a slightly bittersweet smile.

"You words are far too heavy for someone so young." she said.

Aurora shrugged, "I won't be spared because of my age."

Minerva nodded, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be."


	16. Chapter 16: Through the Grapevine

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **There is a little swearing in this chapter. It's only a tiny bit, but I felt I should warn those of you who are a little more, how do I say this, delicately minded.

Chapter 16: Through the Grapevine

Minerva sat at her desk in her classroom, pretending to mark essays. She put a beautifully formed "A" on a piece of parchment and threw her quill down. What was the point in this stupid charade? It was such a poor imitation of normality, that she wasn't fooling anyone, let alone herself. She was worried, terrified, if she let herself admit it.

Students had started disappearing with out a trace. It had started with Neville Longbottom. He'd been at breakfast one morning and then no one had seen him since. He hadn't gone away for Easter, Minerva had kept a careful record, and in any case he should have been back by now. But he wasn't back, or here, or there, or anywhere. Minerva had checked. The boy had apparently vanished from the surface of the earth. Others had followed his example, the Gryffindor numbers so depleted that they barely had enough to make one class. It wasn't just Gryffindors either. Pomona had come to her in a state of panic, when she realized a good portion of her badgers were missing. Filius had reported some Ravenclaws gone as well. It was a worrying situation, a situation that no one knew how to approach. In the good old days, a problem like this would have been taken to the headmaster. Well, that was out. Asking for Snape's help would be like welcoming Death into your sitting room, then making it dinner and letting it stay the night. It was not to be considered. There was no one they could turn to. The Carrows seemed blissfully unaware of the falling numbers. They wouldn't care. Amycus probably couldn't count that high anyway and Alecto would consider it a blessing. Less students to bother her.

Minerva took a deep breath and tried to steady herself. She was a grown up lady, who was completely in control of everything. The very words made her laugh, in a desperate, maniacal kind of way. The truth was that she was an old woman who was slowly losing her grip on the world around her. She shook her head, trying to rid her mind of those kinds of thoughts.

"Calm down, Minerva." she said, firmly. "This isn't helping anyone."

_And now I'm talking to myself_,she thought. _Great. I've finally lost it._

Minerva got out of her seat and went over to a cupboard. She took down a tea pot and filled it with water. A cup of tea would soothe her nerves. She watched it boil and then poured some into a cup, her hand shaking slightly. Taking a sip and realizing she had forgotten the tea, Minerva took a teabag and dipped it in the water, watching as the warm, amber colour spread through out the cup. Taking another sip, she sighed. Another kind of amber liquid would better soothe her nerves. She went to another cupboard and took out a confiscated bottle of Firewhisky. She unscrewed the cap, just as a knock sounded at her door.

"Come in." she called, hiding the illicit alcohol behind her back.

Rolanda came into the classroom and shut the door.

"Oh, it's you." Minerva said, sounding relieved.

She took the Firewhisky and drank a swig straight from the bottle.

"Sorry." she said sheepishly, putting the bottle down on a desk.

Rolanda shrugged, "whatever gets you through the day, Minnie, my friend. I'm not here to judge."

"What are you here to do?" Minerva asked, slightly put out at the use of a nickname.

"I've got news to share with you."

"Is it good news?"

"Do you need good news?"

Minerva sank down into a chair and massaged her temples.

"God, yes. I would give anything for something to smile about."

"What's wrong?" Rolanda inquired, sounding and looking concerned.

"My students are disappearing. They're just gone and I don't where. Other houses are losing people too. Filius is angry, Pomona is worried and me? I'm just bloody confused!"

"Well," Rolanda said, "I have some good news and some news that is neither here nor there."

"Average news first please."

"Okay. Firstly, I take it Ginny Weasley is one of the students that's missing? It's because her entire family has gone into hiding. They just upped and left, from what I hear."

Minerva looked up.

"How do you know this?"

"I have my sources." Rolanda said, mysteriously. "There are several safe houses they could have gone to. The top contender is Molly's aunt's, but we'll never know as there are so many security measures."

"Do the Death Eaters know this?"

"They certainly know they've left. As to where they've gone, I personally don't think they have much of an idea. The Weasleys are popular people. They've got friends all round the place who could be hiding them."

"But why?" Minerva asked, "Why would they choose now to go?"

"Could be any number of reasons. I wouldn't worry too much. They were going to have to go sometime soon anyway, being so close to Harry Potter and all."

Minerva stood up and the two witches left the classroom and went on a walking tour of the castle. It was deserted, as it usually was these days.

"Anything else before we get on to the good news?" Minerva said.

Rolanda smirked.

"This borders on good news. Someone in the hierarchy decided Neville Longbottom was getting too vocal and it was time to silence him."

"How is that good?" Minerva exclaimed.

"They decided the best way to do it would be to send someone to Augusta's."

It was Minerva's turn to smirk.

"Oh."

"Oh indeed!" Rolanda grinned. "Obviously they weren't expecting much, because they sent that idiot Dawlish on his own."

Minerva shook her head,"Playing into her hands. Like giving meat to a lion!"

"He's still in St Mungos and she's on the run."

_Good old Augusta _Minerva thought.

"Minerva, Rolanda."

They were walking past the Hospital Wing when Poppy's voice called out to them. Minerva stopped walking instantly. There was something wrong, she could tell. Poppy's voice, while usually brisk and enthusiastic, was slow, quiet and shaky. It was unsure and unsteady, the sound at the end of the sentence dropping away. It was the kind of voice one might have in a nightmare, where you were trying to call for help but, as you opened you mouth, nothing happened.

"Minerva, Rolanda!" she called again, her voice unnaturally high.

She sounded terrified, that was the only way to put it. Rolanda hurried in, with Minerva close at her heels.

Poppy stood at the window, staring down at the lake. Her hands were shaking, her face was white and her eyes were wide. She tried to say something as her friends walked in, but no words came out. After several attempts at intelligent speech, she just pointed a trembling finger and whispered, "it's him."

Minerva's eyes spun to the lake, where her finger was pointing. Two figures moved along the shoreline. Both wore long cloaks of black. One had black hair, a slight swagger and was unmistakably Severus Snape. The other... the other was unmistakably someone who made Minerva's heart pound a heavy tattoo on her chest. His head was bald, long blue veins twisting along it, like the snakes to which he was so closely affiliated. Every step he took, hammered the breath back into Minerva's throat, until she found it difficult to breathe. The blood drained from her face and she shot a hand out, clutching the side of a bed for support. It was him. _You-Know-Who_. He was here, at Hogwarts, walking along the side of the lake.

"Is that him?" Rolanda squeaked, grabbing Minerva's arm, "_Is that him?_"

Minerva tried to say something, but ended up just nodding. Rolanda sank to the floor, her hands on her head.

"Oh my God!" she whined, "Oh my fucking God."

Rolanda didn't usually swear and Minerva didn't usually condone it, but it seemed like one of those moments when morals were thrown out the backdoor.

The three women watched as the figures walked. They came to a white, marble tomb that sat on the edge of the lake. A few seconds passed and then Snape left his master alone. The man raised his wand.

"What's he doing?" Rolanda whispered.

The top of the tomb slid off slowly, falling to the ground.

"No." Minerva cried, "NO!"

The person that lay inside the tomb was none other than Albus Dumbledore, the only man You-Know-Who was afraid of. He was a legend. He was the greatest person Minerva had ever known. And now his resting place was being defiled by a monster.

"I think I'm going to be sick." Poppy moaned, going to Minerva and burying her face in her shoulder.

Minerva couldn't look anymore, turning away from the window. She put one arm around Poppy and reached out the other, Rolanda taking her hand and squeezing it. There they stood, united by fear. Tension hung in the air, no one daring to breathe.

"It's finished." Rolanda croaked, "He's gone."

Poppy broke down into tears. Minerva let out a raspy breath and did her best to comfort her friend, whilst trying not to fall apart.

"I could do with that good news now." she said.

Rolanda said, slightly flatly, "Nymphadora Lupin has had her baby. A little boy. Named Ted after - after his grandfather."

A tear rolled from Minerva's eye. She made no attempt to stifle it. A beautiful gift had been brought into a world that wanted him dead. Somehow, it didn't seem like such good news anymore.


	17. Chapter 17: The Calm before the Storm

Chapter 17: The Calm before the Storm

Whispering floated through the corridors that morning. They were excited whispers, muffled voices spreading some kind of gossip through the school. Minerva noticed the excited atmosphere as she made her way to breakfast. Students stood in little groups, huddled together. As she edged closer, they broke away and reformed in a different circles. Minerva frowned and walked into the Great Hall. Something was up and she was determined to find out what. To do that she had to go to the biggest source of gossip in all of Hogwarts.

Finding that Rolanda was not awake yet, Minerva took her seat next to Poppy. Poppy smiled weakly as she sat down, still recovering from their experience in the hospital wing. It pained Minerva to see Poppy like this. She was thinner, frailer, no longer filled with her efficient energy. The age defying beauty looked older than she had at any point in the pair's friendship, her eyes pale and her cheek bones becoming more and more prominent. Her hands shook slightly as she picked up a cup of coffee.

"How are you?" Minerva asked.

It was a innocent enough question, thrown casually into conversation, but both women knew the subtext behind it. Poppy looked slightly annoyed as she answered, a sure sign she was getting better. She hated being cared for, as opposed to being the one doing the caring.

"Holding up. And you?"

"Fine, fine."

Minerva paused and started skimming through _The Daily Prophet_. She flicked over the first pages and, finding nothing but lies, people wanted for questioning and unsatisfactory Quidditch results, closed it again. There didn't seem to be anything extraordinary that might have got the students in a stir. Most of the extraordinary things seemed pretty ordinary these days anyway. She absentmindedly started to tear at the corner of the paper.

"Are you done with that?" Poppy said.

Minerva nodded.

"Well, could I read it? Before you tear it to shreds? It'll probably be rubbish, but one likes to keep up with the enemy camp."

"Yes, yes, of course."

She slid the paper over to Poppy.

"Minerva?" Poppy asked, "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine." Minerva said, "It's just, well, have you heard the whispering around the halls?"

Poppy looked around, then bent in closer.

"I have noticed something! All of the students huddled together, like some kind of secret society."

"You don't know anything about it then?"

Poppy shook her head, "I can't say I do, Minerva. I actually thought you might."

Minerva shook her head as well, "No, I don't have a clue. How is it they know something we don't?"

Poppy shrugged, "Have you asked Rolanda? Gossip seems to find her like homing pigeons."

"She isn't up yet." Minerva said, "But, as soon as she is, I intended to ask her."

Rolanda came in a few moments later. She wore her flying robes and was dripping with mud.

"Morning." she said gruffly to the table.

"What, in the name of Merlin, happened to you?" Minerva asked.

"Dementors." Rolanda whispered with a shudder. "They're floating around the castle borders. I took one look and fell off my broom, into a nice patch of swamp."

"Seems the sensible thing to do." Poppy nodded.

"Well, my rather dirty attire didn't please the caretaker's familiar." Rolanda spat, bitterly. "The little creep found her master before I had time to blink and I got an ear full! One day I swear I'm going to kick Mrs Norris."

"I seem to remember your last attempt was unsuccessful." Poppy said. "_Extremely _unsuccessful."

Rolanda ignored her and helped herself to a goblet of pumpkin juice. Minerva let her finish her drink, before asking about the whispering.

"So, what's the gossip?" Minerva asked, intently.

"What d'ya mean?" Rolanda said, her mouth half full of bacon.

"Don't play stupid." Minerva frowned, "Surely you've noticed all the groups in the corridors!"

"Nobody's actually told me what it's about." Rolanda said.

When Minerva looked disappointed, she quickly whispered, "That doesn't mean I don't know _anything_. I happened to over hear some snippets as I was passing."

"I'll never yell at you for eavesdropping again!" said Poppy, excitedly.

"The conversation I heard," Rolanda said, " went something like this: Whisper, whisper, Harry Potter, whisper, whisper, whisper, Gringotts, whisper, whisper, dragon."

"Well? What does it mean?" Poppy said.

"It's obvious!" Rolanda beamed.

"No, it bloody well isn't!" Minerva snapped.

"Obviously," Rolanda said, in a tone one might use with a confused four year old, "Harry Potter and his traveling companions have broken in to Gringotts to look for an object with significant value, found it, then absconded with said object on the back of an old security dragon."

"Ok, that _might _have happened." Minerva said, skeptically.

"It's still in the theory stages!" Rolanda cried, defensively, "But it's the only thing I can think of. Plus it explains why the Carrows were leaving the grounds."

"The Carrows left the school?" Minerva said in surprise.

"They did indeed!" Rolanda nodded, "I saw them walking through the gate, towards Hogsmeade. Arguing like Slytherins and Gryffindors, they were."

Minerva raised an eyebrow and thought about what she had just heard. The idea of Harry Potter escaping from Gringotts on a dragon was ridiculous! What would the boy want with the wizard bank anyway? On the other hand, something pretty serious must have happened to make Alecto and Amycus leave the grounds. They had been getting more and more controlling over the school, patrolling the corridors at most hours of the day. No, they wouldn't just leave for a simple drink at the Three Broomsticks. Something had to be up and chances were it had something to do with You-Know-Who. She vanished the rest of the food on her plate, not feeling particularly hungry. As she did so, an idea came to her. There was one person who might know a little about Harry Potter's whereabouts. She leapt out of her seat and started towards the door at a terrific pace.

"Where are you going?" Poppy called out.

"Tell you later!" was the only reply she got.

Minerva walked quickly, her insides buzzing. Why hadn't she thought about it before? Most people close to Harry Potter were missing, but one had been there at Hogwarts all the time. She came to a large painting of a fruit bowl. Reaching out, she tickled the painted pear, which squirmed and giggled before turning into a door knob. Minerva turned the handle and pushed open the door to the kitchens.

The kitchens were a hive of activity, as they always were. Great pots bubbled away on stoves, interesting coloured steam coming from under the lids. Many ovens held various loaves, pies and cakes. Smells drifted through the air, mingling and mixing with each other (Minerva detected cinnamon and tomato paste, a curiously pleasant combination). Attending everything were the Hogwarts house-elves. Each one wore a neat tea towel that bore the school crest on the corner. They were small creatures, with peculiar shaped faces and large, bat-like ears. Minerva scanned the room; she was looking for a particular house-elf.

"Can Tally help the mistress?" a small elf, with enormous blue eyes, asked.

"Yes, thank you, Tally." Minerva smiled, "I'm looking for Dobby."

Dobby was a strong supporter of Harry Potter. The house-elf had been freed from his abusive master by the boy and had followed him loyally ever since.

"Dobby?" Tally squeaked, with a worried expression.

"Yes. He works here. Can you tell me where he is?"

"Dobby has not been seen in weeks and weeks." Tally said, sadly. "He is called away by a friend, so he says, and he has not been back to the kitchen since. I fear he is lost or..."

She trailed away.

Minerva coughed, slightly awkwardly, and said, "do you know who this friend is, Tally?"

"I thinks he goes to visit Mr Dumbledore," Tally said, "the man who owns the Hogshead bar."

Dumbledore? Minerva's heart skipped a beat. It couldn't be a common name. Albus had a brother, she remembered. Yes, perhaps he did own the Hogshead. Aberforth, that was his name. Was Aberforth involved with the Order? Maybe, if Dobby had gone to see him, it involved Harry Potter. Minerva sighed. She was trying to forge connections that weren't there. The two brothers hadn't been on the best of terms, so the idea that Albus had entrusted Aberforth with something important was shaky. Dobby had probably just gone on one of his days off, to visit a "friend" as he had put it. That didn't explain his absence though.

"The mistress needs to see Dobby terribly?" Tally inquired.

Minerva shook her head.

"No, no. Not really." she said. "I just wanted to ask him a few questions, but they're not that important."

Minerva left the kitchens feeling slightly down. Dobby probably wouldn't have known anything anyway. Still, it was a perplexing situation. Where had the elf disappeared to?

_Too many questions, with not enough answers,_ Minerva thought.

She adjusted the bun on the back of her head, something she always did when she wasn't sure what to do. It would be better not to think about it, any of it. She went to her classroom, in preparation for the day's lessons. She straightened the desks and shuffled some papers. She wrote on the blackboard, same as always. The routine was calming, but it was a strange calm. It didn't feel like it would last. Minerva walked to the window and gazed out. She felt, as she had most of the year, that something was coming. A storm on the horizon, as the Sorting Hat had said at the beginning of the first term. And it was getting closer.

"Yes," Minerva whispered, "something's getting closer."

She turned away from the window, as the first people began to trickle into class.


	18. Chapter 18: And So It Begins

Chapter 18: And So It Begins

Minerva wasn't exactly sure what made her leave her room that night and go in the direction of the Ravenclaw tower. In subsequent years, people would ask her why she got up to investigate and she would always reply, "just a feeling". It was a feeling that had been with her all day, ever since she had been unable to locate Dobby in the kitchens. She couldn't shake off the idea that something was coming, something big. When she went into her room that night, it hung over her like a cloud, chasing sleep away when ever it dared to come close. In the end she decided to get up and try to walk it off.

She took her tartan dressing gown and rapped it around her thin body, over the top of her night dress. She was halfway through putting on her slippers, before she decided she wanted something a little more substantial and converted to her lace-up boots. Minerva glanced in the mirror, contemplating whether or not to tie her hair up. It fell down her back, a greying-black cascade, and momentarily she resembled once more the beautiful girl in the photograph. Her dark blue eyes came to rest on the photograph. Two girls, beautiful and young, still laughed and smiled, a moment from long ago, captured in a frame. Minerva turned away and decidedly fixed her hair into a bun. She was no longer that girl. That moment had passed on, a photo and a memory all that remained.

She left her room and stood in the dimly lit passage way, wondering where to go from here. She watched one of the castle's ghosts pass through a wall. This ghost had been, in her life, a woman. She had straight hair, it's grey colour suggesting it had been dark. Her dress was long and stiff, from a certain time period. She was known as The Grey Lady and she was the acknowledged ghost of Ravenclaw house. Maybe it was her presence that suggested Ravenclaw tower as a possible destination for Minerva's travels. Filius had mentioned that Alecto had demanded entry to the common room. What did she want? Was she still up there? Minerva decided to seek the answers to these questions. Alecto locked in a room with students was not a nice thought and it was probably in the best interests of the pupils that Minerva checked to see if they were okay.

The steps leading up to Ravenclaw tower were bathed in moonlight, giving it an eerie ambience. Minerva leant against the handrail and questioned if she could actually be bothered climbing to the top. The sound of Amycus Carrow's angry voice made up her mind for her and she started to run up the stairs. She soon found the owner of the voice, who was yelling loudly.

"_ALECTO_!" Amycus shouted, "If he comes, and we haven't got Potter - d'you want to go the same way as the Malfoys? ANSWER ME!"

With both fists, he banged on the door, which refused to open. Minerva didn't know what he was talking about, but watching him struggle was strangely satisfying.

"May I ask what you are doing, Professor Carrow?" she asked, the low, calm tone of her voice designed to annoy him.

"Trying - to get - through this damned - door!" Amycus bellowed, pushing at the door with his shoulder. "Go and get Flitwick! Get him to open it now!"

Minerva had had quite enough of being ordered around by this invader. Straightening up, she put on an expression of cool indifference.

"But isn't your sister in there?" she said, "Didn't Professor Flitwick let her in, earlier this evening, at your urgent request? Perhaps she could open the door for you? Then you needn't wake up half the castle."

Amycus turned to face her, his mouth in an ugly snarl.

"She ain't answering, you old besom! _You _open it! Garn! Do it, now!"

Minerva's face was passive, unreadable. Dangerous.

"Certainly, if you wish it." she said, her civil manner doing nothing to disguise the coldness.

She took hold of the knocker and rapped it gently against the worn wood. A musical voice rang out from somewhere:

"Where do vanished objects go?"

"Into non-being, which is to say, everything." Minerva said, speaking and hoping her mind would catch up.

To her surprise the door answered "nicely phrased" and swung open.

The first thing Minerva saw when she stepped into the common room was a flurry of movement. Students that had been down had rushed up the side stairs, into their dormitories. The second thing she saw was Alecto Carrow lying on the floor, arms spread out at awkward angles. She went over to examine her, to check what had happened. Whilst an unconscious Alecto was not undesirable, the explanation as to why she was in such a state worried Minerva a little. Amycus was fuming.

"What've they done, the little whelps?" he screamed,"I'll Cruciate the lot of 'em 'til they tell me who did it - and what's the Dark Lord going to say?"

The mention of the name made Minerva shiver and take note. The something she was waiting for had obviously arrived.

"We haven't got him," Amycus continued, "and they've gorn and killed her!"

"She's only Stunned," said Minerva, checking her pulse rather impatiently. "She'll be perfectly alright."

"No she bludgering well won't!" Amycus yelled. "Not after the Dark Lord gets hold of her! She's gorn and sent for him, I felt me Mark burn, and he thinks we've got Potter!"

Minerva jerked her head upwards, her eyes alertly staring at Amycus.

"'Got Potter'?" she repeated sharply, her voice getting angrier. "What do you mean 'got Potter'?"

"He told us Potter might try and get inside Ravenclaw Tower," Amycus said, distractedly, "and to send for him if we caught him!"

"Why would Harry Potter try to get inside Ravenclaw tower?"Minerva said, "Potter belongs in _my _house!"

Her voice was a mix of anger, fear and disbelief. Thrown in was a hint of pride when she mentioned Harry's name.

"We was told he might come in here!" said Amycus. "I dunno why, do I?"

Minerva slowly rose to her feet. The idea of Harry Potter returning to Hogwarts was ridiculous. He wouldn't be so stupid as to walk into that kind of trap! Despite herself, Minerva looked around the room, taking in everything. There was no way Potter was hiding here, no way.

"We can push it off on the kids," said Amycus. "Yeah, that's what we'll do. We'll say Alecto was ambushed by kids, them kids up there and we'll say they forced her to press her Mark and that's why he got a false alarm ... he can punish them. Couple of kids more or less, what's the difference?"

Minerva turned to look at the Death Eater, her face pale, her lips thin and her eyes blazing. She had let this monster and his sister harm the students of Hogwarts for too long. It ended here.

"Only the difference between truth and lies, courage and cowardice," Minerva said, "a difference, in short, which you and your sister seem unable to appreciate."

She drew herself up to her full height.

"But let me make one thing very clear." She said, her voice strong with passion. "You are not going to pass off your many ineptitudes on the students of Hogwarts. I shall not permit it."

"Excuse me?" Amycus hissed.

He went up to Minerva, coming so close that she could see his beady eyes twitching. She stood her ground, refusing to back away. This was her school and no one was going to tell her what she could and couldn't do.

"It's not a case of what you'll permit, Minerva McGonagall. Your time's over here. It's us what's in charge here now, and you'll back me up or you'll pay the price."

The expression on Minerva's face stated _exactly _where she stood. No price was too high, if it meant she wasn't giving in to the regime. Amycus read the signs and retaliated by spitting in her face. Minerva reached for her wand, but before she could do so, a voice, angry and clear, shouted:

"You shouldn't have done that."


	19. Chapter 19: The Hero Returns

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **I wish to apologize for the amount of Deathly Hallows dialogue I have included in the previous chapter and I apologize in advance for the next few chapters. I'm wishing to stick as closely as I can to canon and to do so I felt I needed to include everything mentioned. I know most of you will have read it before and I thank you for your patience. I'll say it once again, I do not own the words of J.K.R.

Chapter 19: The Hero Returns

Minerva spun around and the sight that greeted her nearly brought her to her knees. Harry Potter, wand out stretched, hair slightly too long, scar ever present on his forehead, stood in the Ravenclaw common room, just as Amycus said he would be. He jabbed his wand in Amycus' direction and yelled, "_Crucio_!"

The hunched body of the Death Eater was lifted off the ground. He writhed and twisted, his limbs flying in all directions. A high pitched scream came from his mouth, as he was thrown about like a rag doll. His jerking body was thrown again a bookcase and he fell to the ground, all movement ceasing.

"I see what Bellatrix meant," said Harry, "you need to really mean it!"

Minerva raised her hand to her heart, which was caught between a continuous beat and stopping completely.

"Potter!" she whispered, her voice struggling to come out. "Potter - you're here! What-? How-?"

She looked faintly at the body of Amycus and then back at The Boy Who Lived.

_Pull yourself together, Minerva!_ she said to herself.

Out loud she said, "Potter, that was very foolish!"

"He spat at you," said Harry.

Minerva threw the rising wave of affection aside and spluttered, "Potter, I - that was very - very _gallant _of you - but don't you realise -?"

"Yeah, I do," Harry nodded, saving her from saying what was inevitably coming, "Professor McGonagall, Voldemort's on the way."

"Oh, are we allowed to say the name now?" asked Luna Lovegood, whose sudden appearance from beneath what was obviously an invisibility cloak caused Minerva to stagger backwards into a chair.

"I don't think it makes any difference what we call him," Harry replied, "he already knows where I am."

Minerva clawed at the neck of her dressing gown. She had waited all year for this to happen and now it had thrown her completely off guard. You-Know-Who was coming to Hogwarts with the intention to kill. Harry had to get out of here.

"You must flee," whispered Minerva, weakly, "Now, Potter, as quickly as you can!"

She was astonished by her own cowardice, but nothing was to happen to this boy, not when everyone had given up so much to keep him alive.

"I can't," Harry said, his messy, black hair covering his scar as he shook his head. "There's something I need to do. Professor, do you know where the diadem of Ravenclaw is?" What ever Minerva had been expecting, it definitely wasn't this.

"The d - diadem of Ravenclaw? Of course not - hasn't it been lost for centuries?"

_Idiot boy, _she thought_, what on Earth does he need a ancient piece of jewelry for?_

"Potter," she said, straightening her back to look him in the eye, "it was madness, utter madness, for you to enter this castle-"

"I had to," Harry cut in, much to Minerva's annoyance, "Professor, there's something hidden here that I'm supposed to find, and it _could _be the diadem - if I could just speak to Professor Flitwick -"

A clinking sound indicated that Amycus was coming to. Minerva's head hurt so much that she didn't think twice about getting to her feet, pointing her wand at him and whispering, "Imperio."

_Give me your wand, _she commanded him, _Give me your wand, Alecto's too and then lie next to her_.

He did so and she bound brother and sister together with a shining silver rope.

"Potter," Minerva said, turning back to Harry as if she hadn't just performed an illegal spell, "If He Who Must Not Be Named does indeed know that you are here- Potter, are you alright?"

Harry had sunk to the ground, clutching at Luna's shoulder to keep himself from falling down completely. He stared up at his teacher, his mother's eyes filled with urgency.

"Time's running out, Voldemort's getting nearer. Professor, I'm acting on Dumbledore's orders, I must find what he wanted me to find! But we've got to get the students out while I'm searching the castle - it's me Voldemort wants, but he won't care about killing a few more or less, not now -"

"You're acting on _Dumbledore's_ orders?" Minerva repeated.

And, just like that, the situation changed. If Dumbledore had intended for the boy to come to the castle, then everything in her power would be done to aid him. In Albus she trusted, learning from previous experience that it was always better to do so. Minerva once again drew herself up to full height, looking impressive even in a tartan dressing gown.

"We shall secure the school against He Who Must Not Be Named while you search for this - this object."

"Is that possible?"

Minerva laughed drily.

"I think so. We teachers are rather good at magic, you know. I am sure we will be able to hold him off for a while if we all put our best efforts into it. Of course, something will have to be done about Professor Snape -"

"Let me -"

Minerva cut him off before he could volunteer to rid them of the current headmaster. That pleasure was going to be hers.

"And if Hogwarts is about to enter a state of siege," she continued, "with the Dark Lord at the gates, it would indeed be advisable to take as many innocent people out of the way as possible. With the Floo Network under observation and Apparition impossible within the grounds-"

"There's a way," Harry said quickly and he proceeded to tell her that there was a secret passageway through Aberforth Dumbledore's bar, that came out in the room of requirement, where Neville and many others had hiding out. Minerva was past being surprised, instead choosing to taking a practical stance.

"Potter, we're talking about hundreds of students-"

"I know, Professor," Harry said, "but if Voldemort and the Death Eaters are concentrating on the school boundaries they won't be interested in anyone who's Disapparating out of the Hogs Head."

There was something in his plan. Minerva told him so, before pointing her wand at the Carrows and attaching them to the ceiling with a silver net. There they lay, two ugly flies in a spider's trap.

"Come." she said to Harry and Luna. "We must alert the other Heads of House. You'd better put that Cloak back on."

She hurried towards the door, her wand raised. Three silver cats slid from the end, each one assigned with the task of summoning a different Head. Their silvery lights out shone the moonlight, as they sped down the stairs ahead of their conjurer. Minerva ran quickly after them, spinning plans of attack in her mind. Commander and Chief was a position that she was constantly finding herself thrown into. It was time, as Aurora Sinistra had put it that night in the astronomy tower, to take charge. She could only hope that others would follow her as they had promised.

Running to the bottom of the tower, she found herself jumping steps, two at at time. The wave of tiredness that had consumed her at the start of the year was gone. Her own special kind of electricity pulsed through her body. She was in her element.

Minerva came to the bottom of the stairs and started down the corridor, her dressing gown swishing behind her. She sped down staircases and passageways, barely noticing where she was. She stopped only when another set of footsteps joined hers, Harry's and Luna's. Holding her wand ahead of her, she called out, "who's there?"

"It is I" a cold, drawling voice whispered.

Severus Snape stepped out from behind a suit of armour. He wore his signature black robes. He too held his wand aloft in a battle ready position.

Minerva smiled inwardly and closed her eyes, only just holding in a content sigh. The man was about to get _exactly_ what was coming to him.

She thought to herself, as she looked her opponent straight in the eye, _and so it begins_.


	20. Chapter 20: The Heads and the Headmaster

Chapter 20: The Heads and the Headmaster

"Where are the Carrows?" Snape asked, his voice almost civil.

"Wherever you told them to be, I expect, Severus." Minerva replied, matching and beating his pretense of civility.

"I was under the impression that Alecto had apprehended an intruder." he said quietly and Minerva became aware of his eyes scanning the air around her.

_Please stay quiet, Harry, _she thought desperately, trying to formulate a plan.

"Really?" she tried to keep her voice normal. "And what gave you that impression?"

"Oh, but naturally," she said coldly, as Snape moved his left arm. "You Death Eaters have your own private means of communication, I forgot."

Snape didn't seem to hear her, edging forwards, his eyes still darting all around.

_He's expecting the cloak, _Minerva thought, a spasm of horror going through her body.

"I did not know it was your night to patrol the corridors, Minerva." he drawled, after what felt like an eternity.

"You have some objection?" Minerva said confidently.

"I wonder what could have brought you out of your bed at this late hour?"

"I thought I heard a disturbance." said Minerva, in tone that almost dared him to challenge it.

Snape raised an eyebrow, "really? But all seems calm."

He turned his head slightly and Minerva felt the intensity of his gaze, a gaze that had penetrated many minds. But not hers. And not today.

"Have you seen Harry Potter, Minerva?" he asked, a new sense of importance in his manner. "Because if you have, I must insist -"

He didn't get to finish his sentence because Minerva had brought down her wand, slashing the air with a powerful stunning spell. Snape was already seen it coming, casting a shield so strong that it almost knocked Minerva over. Minerva scolded herself as she regained her balance. She'd have to be a fool to think she could beat Severus Snape without a proper fight. The man wasn't Alecto.

She flicked her wand at a flaming torch on the wall above her. The torch fell of the wall and the flames sped at Snape, forming a lasso of fire. With a flick of his wand, Snape returned the fire, this time in the form of a great black snake. Minerva brushed it aside with one, swift hand movement. It lingered as smoke before turning into daggers. Minerva willed them towards her opponent with almost indecent relish. Snape ducked behind a suit of armour, only just avoiding the sharp tips of the enchanted weapons. Unable to find flesh, the daggers embedded themselves in the breast plate of the armour, the sound of metal on metal ringing through the corridor.

"Minerva!" came the squeaky voice of Filius Flitwick.

Minerva jerked around to see Filius and Pomona, both in night clothes, sprinting towards the fray. Horace puffed behind them, wearing emerald green pyjamas. The colour of Slytherin made Minerva all the more angry. Filius had spotted the Headmaster and he raised his wand aggressively.

"No!" he shouted, "You'll do no more murder at Hogwarts!"

Minerva must have blinked and missed the speed of Filius' spell. In a fraction of a second the suit of armour that shielded Snape came to life, wrapping the man in a crushing embrace. Snape sent it flying back towards his former colleagues and made a break for a near by classroom. Minerva raised a hand and the armour dodged sideways, breaking with a clatter as it came into contact with hard stone. She sprinted after Snape, Pomona and Filius coming close behind.

Minerva grabbed onto the door frame and threw herself into the classroom. Snape cast several stunners, all of which hit the desks in front of her. She shielded her eyes as the splintered wood was blasted upwards. Barely looking, she fired the first few spells that came to her mind. Snape blocked them all and made his way towards the window.

_Fight back, _Minerva thought furiously, "FIGHT BACK!"

Snape looked at Minerva. His eyes seemed to tell a story very different from his actions. They wanted to say something and Minerva held her breath, waiting for the words. But nothing came. Instead Snape decided to leave, taking his exit through a window. Minerva clenched her fists, as the glass shattered at her feet.

"Coward!" she screamed, "_COWARD!" _

Pomona put a hand on her friend's shoulder and Filius threw one more desperate spell through the window, to no avail.

Minerva didn't even turn her head when she heard Harry and Luna enter the room, miraculously unharmed during the fight.

"He jumped." she said to her students, ignoring Filius and Pomona's cries of surprise at the sudden appearance of these two outlaws.

"You mean he's _dead?_" Harry gasped, sprinting to join them at the window.

"No, he's not dead," Minerva scowled, the bitterness poignant on her tongue. "Unlike Dumbledore , he was still carrying a wand... and he seems to have learn a few tricks from his master."

Her eyes watched a bat like figure flying though the night towards the perimeter wall. The faithful _dog _returningto its master.

"Harry!" Minerva heard Horace croak in surprise, still panting from the exercise. "My dear boy ... what a surprise ... Minerva, do please explain ... Severus ... what ...?"

"Our Headmaster is taking a short break," Minerva said indifferently, pointing at the hole in the glass.

"Professor!" Harry shouted. "Professor, we've got to barricade the school, he's coming now!"

"Very well."

Minerva straightened up and looked seriously at her co-workers.

"He Who Must Not be Named is coming." she said, grimacing at the gasps and groans.

Ignoring their discomfort, she pressed on with her instructions.

"Potter has work to do in the castle on Dumbledore's orders. We need to put in place every protection of which we are capable, while Potter does what he needs to do."

"You realise, of course, that nothing we do will be able to keep out You Know Who indefinitely?" Filius said.

"But we can hold him up." said Pomona, the courage in her voice exceeding that normally found in a Hufflepuff.

"Thank you, Pomona." Minerva said grimly.

The look that Pomona gave Minerva seemed to say _I understand and_ _I trust you. Tell me what I can do and I shall do it_. Minerva smiled appreciatively.

"I suggest," she continued, "we establish basic protection around the place, then gather our students and meet in the Great Hall. Most must be evacuated, though if any of those who are over age wish to stay and fight I think they ought to be given the chance."

"Agreed," Pomona nodded, "I shall meet you in the Great Hall in twenty minutes with my house."

And she jogged away, muttering about Snargaluff pods. Minerva couldn't help but smile. Pomona was at her best when she was doing, always the practical witch.

"I can act from here." Filius said, bringing Minerva back to the present.

He started to mutter incantations. Minerva nodded and, out of habit, started clearing up the broken desks. She repaired what she could and then vanished the rest. When she had finished, the room looked as if nothing had ever happened. It could have been any other night time, just waiting for the dawn to come. But that wasn't the case. Tomorrow, Minerva knew, this classroom could be unrecognizable, ravaged by war, torn apart by fighting. But she couldn't think about that. Not now.

"We shall meet you and your Ravenclaws in the Great Hall, Filius!" Minerva told the charms master, signaling for Harry and Luna to follow her.

They got to the door when Horace finally found his voice.

"My word," he rumbled, his face more than a little pale. "What a to-do! I'm not at all sure whether this is wise, Minerva. He is bound to find a way in, you know, and anyone who has tried to delay him will be in most grievous peril-"

Minerva was tired of his pathetic excuses.

"I shall expect you and the Slytherins in the Great Hall in twenty minutes, also," she said, her voice tolerant with a hint of forbidding. "If you wish to leave with your students, we shall not stop you."

She took a step closer to the head of Slytherin house. Though Horace was greater in mass, her presence in the room was a hundred times bigger.

"But if any of you attempt to sabotage our resistance, or take up arms against us within this castle, then, Horace, we duel to kill."

"Minerva!" he gasped, shocked and scandalized.

Minerva cut him off, bursting into a speech reminiscent of Pomona in the astronomy tower.

"The time has come for Slytherin House to decide upon its loyalties. Go and wake your students, Horace."

And she gave him a look that clearly said, _that is an order, not a request_.

Going out into the corridor, she raised her wand. It was time to show how good at magic she really was.

"_Piertotum_ - oh, for heaven's sake Filch, not _now_ -"

The elderly caretaker had come hobbling up towards her.

"Students out of bed!" he yelled in a wheezy voice, "Students in the corridors!"

Minerva could have kicked him.

"They're supposed to be, you blithering idiot!" she yelled, losing all patience completely. "Now go and do something constructive! Find Peeves!"

"P-Peeves?" Filch stuttered.

"Yes, _Peeves_, you fool, _Peeves_! Haven't you been complaining about him for a quarter of a century? Go and fetch him at once!"

With an air of disgruntlement, he hobbled off to fetch the poltergeist. Minerva raised her wand again and stood looking confident.

"And now- _piertotum locomotor!_"she cried.

The statues that lined the corridor jumped down from their plinths. Their feet hit the ground with a resounding crash. Harry and Luna stared at the newly alive statues in awe. Minerva nodded approvingly at the appropriate wonderment on their faces, before turning to her legion of stone.

"Hogwarts is threatened!" she shouted. "Man the boundaries, protect us, do your duty to our school!"

A sea of stone and metal stampeded past the trio. Some were animals, others were famous witches and wizards. Scattered amongst them were suits of armour, brandishing swords and other medieval weaponry.

"Now, Potter," Minerva said, "you and Miss Lovegood had better return to your friends and bring them to the Great Hall - I shall rouse the other Gryffindors."

They part ways at the top of the next staircase. Minerva ran briskly along. When she came to the portrait hole it was open. All the students had gathered in the common room. A worried looking sixth year, who stood next to the door, said, "what's happening, Professor?"

Minerva looked around at all her brave, brave lions.

"We're fighting." she said simply.


	21. Chapter 21: Commander and Chief

Chapter 21: Commander and Chief

Minerva stood in the Great Hall on the raised platform. Students, all wearing dressing gowns and traveling robes, sat at the four tables. People continued to trickle in gradually and the lack of haste made Minerva anxious. The Gryffindor table was looking full again, with members of Dumbledore's Army finally coming out of hiding. Neville Longbottom had walked into the hall and given her a serious nod, his face reflecting the gravity of situation. He was, however, wearing a homemade sweater of a hideous pattern and Minerva was so strongly reminded of the innocent, clumsy, round-faced little boy who had come to her seven years ago. She almost expected him to announce the loss of his pet toad any minute now. Order members had arrived as well. Kingsley Shacklebolt had come to Minerva and gripped her hand solemnly.

"I haven't got a plan." she said by way of greeting.

Kingsley smiled and said in his deep, reassuring voice, "we shall think of something."

In that small conversation her position was established. She was the representative of Hogwarts. Kingsley was the representative of the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter represented Dumbledore's Army, with Neville as his second in command. The three organizations would join together and maybe they had a hope of destroying the common enemy.

Poppy rushed up beside Minerva, her white hair in a long plait. Her face had regained some of its youthful qualities and she didn't waste time with platitudes.

"What can I do?" Poppy asked, her voice brisk and efficient.

With the amount of calm in her voice, one could be forgiven for thinking she was organizing a cake stall instead of what was soon to become a battle zone. Minerva was glad of her frankness.

"I'll need you to oversee evacuations. Mr Filch will be assisting you. There's a passage way through the Room of Requirement, I trust you've heard of it? It comes out through the Hogs Head in Hogsmeade and we will be disapparating out of the bar. I need to talk to everyone together, but as soon as that's done we need to get everyone out quickly."

Poppy nodded her understanding and began her preparations. Minerva came to the front of the platform and everyone hushed.

"There's no point in sugar coating the situation, so I'm not going to." she said, "He Who Must Not Be Told is headed in the direction of the castle, no doubt he bring his followers with him. It is for this reason, though I hardly need explain, we are attempting to get as many people out as possible. We have established a way to leave the castle in a moderately safe manner and it should work as long as everyone is sensible and listens to instructions. The evacuation will be over seen by Mr Filch and Madame Pomfrey. Prefects, when I give you the word, you will organize your house and take your charges, in an orderly fashion, to the evacuation point."

"And what if we want to stay and fight?" a Hufflepuff seventh year called out.

His words were greeted by clapping and Minerva silently applauded the boy's bravery.

"If you are of age," she said, firmly, "then you may stay."

"What about our things?" a Ravenclaw girl asked. "Our trunks, our owls."

"We have no time to collect possessions," Minerva replied impatiently, "The important thing is to get you out of here safely."

"Where's Professor Snape?" shouted someone from the Slytherin table.

"He has, to use a common phrase, done a bunk." Minerva said, a statement greeted with much applause and cheering.

"We have already placed protection around the castle but it is unlikely to hold for very long unless we reinforce it. I must ask you, therefore, to move quickly and calmly, and do as your prefects-"

She couldn't finish her sentence for at the moment another voice flooded the room like a fast moving, high rising torrent. It was a high voice, cold and clear with no real emotion. It was voice like nothing Minerva had heard before and it inspired pure terror in her heart. Where it came from she could not tell. All she knew was that, at that moment, she would've given anything to never hear it again.

"I know that you are preparing to fight." the voice hissed. "Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do want to spill magical blood."

The voice paused. Minerva's heart thundered in her chest. She was hearing the voice of Lord Voldemort.

"Give me Harry Potter," he said, "and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded."

Another pause.

"You have until midnight."

Then there was silence. It was as if Minerva could hear properly for the first time in her life. The sound of every breath and movement radiated out, like someone had turned up the volume of life. Everything was deathly clear and obvious, even though no one wanted to make a sound.

"But he's there!" a Slytherin called Pansy Parkinson yelled. "Potter's _there_! Someone grab him!"

Minerva pulled out her wand, fully prepared to hex a student. But she didn't need to. Pansy's words had started a chain reaction; Gryffindor rose to their feet, arms outstretched, wands at the ready. Hufflepuff too began to rise, followed very closely by Ravenclaw. Soon every wand was pointed at Pansy and her Slytherin housemates.

"Thank you, Miss Parkinson." Minerva said, in a clipped voice. "You will leave the hall first with Mr Filch. If the rest of your house could follow."

She whispered to Poppy as Slytherin started to exit:

"If they give you any trouble, you have my full permission to shut them in the dungeons."

"Ravenclaws, follow on!"

And they did, leaving behind a few older students. Even more of Hufflepuff remained seated when it was their turn to go. Half of Gryffindor stayed behind, causing Minerva to leave the platform and sort out the under age from the of age.

"Absolutely not, Creevey, go! _And _you, Peakes!"

When a more believe amount of Gryffindors remained, Minerva went over to Kingsley.

"Got that plan yet?" she asked.

"Working on it." was his reply.

Still, he got up on the platform and began to address the crowd. Minerva stood at the back of the platform, where the rest of the staff stood in a row.

"We've only got half an hour until midnight, so we need to act fast!" Kingsley was saying. "A battle plan has been agreed between the teachers of Hogwarts and the Order of the Phoenix."

This was the first Minerva had heard of any such agreement, however, given the amount of time they had, any plan was a good plan.

"Professors Flitwick, Sprout and McGonagall are going to take groups of fighters up to the three highest Towers - Ravenclaw, Astronomy and Gryffindor - where they'll have a good overview, excellent positions from which to work spells. Meanwhile, Remus, Arthur and I will take groups into the grounds. We'll need somebody to organise defence of the entrances of the passageways into the school -"

"Sounds like a job for us," called Fred Weasley, gesturing towards himself and his twin brother, George.

Minerva throughly agreed with them. Now ex-pupils, the boys had spent the majority of their school career sneaking about in the passages. No one, not even Filch, knew Hogwarts' secret hallways better than the Weasley twins.

"All right." Kingsley said. "Leaders up here and we'll divide up the troops!"

Minerva moved to the front of the stage, fighting against the tide of students who clambered up, eager to get a job. She spotted who she was looking for, Harry Potter. He looked deep in thought.

"Potter," she said, running up to him, "_aren't you supposed to be looking for something_?"

"What? Oh, oh yeah!"

"Then go, Potter, go!"

She watched him run off into the crowd and for the millionth time that evening she wondered what he was up to. It was on the orders of Albus she kept reminding herself.

Poppy came up next to her and gave her hand a squeeze.

"We're going to be fine, Minerva."

"Poppy, may I talk to you?" Filius had come up beside them.

"The thing is," he said, looking at his feet in a slightly embarrassed way, "I want to tell you something and I thought I'd better do it now, incase, well, incase we're all dead tomorrow."

_Cheery_, Minerva thought privately.

"The thing is-" Filius repeated, twisting his hands together.

"Yes!" Poppy asked, sounding like an infatuated school girl.

"I've come to care for you, Poppy." the little man said quickly. "I've come to care for you more than I should and I just want to say, I, I - _I love you_."

"Filius," Poppy whispered, "I was beginning to think you'd never say it! I've come to care for you too, a great deal! I guess I'm trying to say, I - I -"

"_FOR GOD'S SAKE!_" Minerva yelled. "Why, in the name of all that is good and holy, when you two have had at least twenty years, do you choose now of all times to express your feelings?"

Poppy jerked her head sideways and gave Minerva the most scathing look she could muster. Then, as if to make a point, she grabbed Filius by the robes and pulled him into a kiss. When she had finished, she turned to Minerva once more, scowled and walked away to continue evacuations, flicking her plait behind her. Minerva smiled with amusement. Rolanda was going to be annoyed that she had missed this. Ascertaining that Filius was in no state to talk, Minerva returned to the stage to collect her fighters.

Keenly waiting for her was a mixed group of students and others. Hestia Jones smiled warmly. A few Order members, who Minerva only knew by sight, were talking quietly. Seamus Finnigan bounded up expectantly.

"So what's the plan, Chief?" he asked enthusiastically.

"Firstly, Mr Finnigan," Minerva replied, "I am still your teacher and you will address me as such."

"Duly noted, Commander!" Seamus said, with a salute and a cheeky wink. "So what's the plan, Professor?"

"We head up to Gryffindor Tower." she said, "I'll assign you to particular parts of the tower and we shall go from there."

"So you're making it up as you go along?" Seamus asked. "I respect that."

And he led the way to Gryffindor tower before he could get reprimanded for any of his remarks.


	22. Chapter22:The Battle of Gryffindor Tower

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **This chapter is dedicated to My Dear Professor McGonagall, who was extremely supportive and helpful when I first joined this website and who has continued to be supportive and helpful through out the writing of this story.

Chapter 22: The Battle of Gryffindor Tower

Minerva stood in the attic space of Gryffindor Tower. From her position near the window she could see almost everything; people in the courtyard, people in the grounds, people in the greenhouses. She could see Rolanda circling the sky on her broomstick, accompanied by some of the best Quidditch players and flyers that Hogwarts had ever turned out. Occasionally a pearly white ghost could be seen floating through walls, delivering messages from one part of the castle to another. The Forbidden Forest loomed in the distance.

Minerva turned to Seamus.

"Time, Finnigan?"

"Ten minutes to midnight."

Minerva had unofficially made Seamus her second in command. He stood beside her now, wand in hand. From the attic, Minerva could control most of the tower. Through two trapdoors, two sets of creaky stairs led down to both the girl's dormitories and the boy's dormitories. Directly beneath her was the common room. She had put Hestia in charge of the girl's wing. Bill Weasley had taken the boy's. One of the Order members, a man with curly brown hair who was to be known as "Patterson", was responsible for the common room. In total there were nine people waiting in Gryffindor Tower and Minerva hoped it would stay that way. She paced the floorboards, aware that every passing second brought them closer towards the fight. She scattered the dust that had settled everywhere; no one had been up here in a long time.

"Time, Finnig-"

A loud explosion shattered the air and the tower shook violently, causing both Minerva and Seamus to fall to the ground. Minerva heard Bill yell from below:

"What the _bloody _hell was that?"

She pushed herself to her feet and ran to the window. The protective barrier around Hogwarts had just broken. There were shouts coming from the grounds, as Death Eaters ran from the Forbidden Forest towards the castle. Jets of multicoloured light skimmed the ground, coming from the wands of either side. Minerva threw open the window and prepared to fire. "Everyone aim carefully!" she yelled to the people in the tower. "We don't want to be the cause of our own casualties! And watch the sky, just incase-"

"- they've got brooms?" Seamus finished for her.

Minerva looked up and gasped. A swarm of Death Eaters flew towards the tower like a dark cloud. She watched Rolanda swing around and yell a battle cry, before charging forwards, flinging sparks at the enemies. A few swerved and Minerva cried out as they sped in her direction. The was a huge shattering noise as the windows in the dormitories broke.

"_Immobulus_!" came the voice of Hestia, followed by a loud thud and more crashing.

Minerva wondered whether she should go and help but, before she could act, the window to the attic was blasted off its hinges and two men in black cloaks swept into the room. One made a swipe with his wand and Minerva dived sideways as part of the floor was blasted away. Seamus ran forwards and started to duel. Minerva let one of them come to her. He was big, ugly and absolutely no match for the talented witch. She moved forward with light steps, swishing her wand as she did so. Spell after spell hit the man in the chest and he folded like he was made of paper. He hit the ground with such force that the floorboard beneath him split.

Minerva turned on her heel and threw out an arm, casting a shield between Seamus and a well aimed curse. The Death Eater switched to Minerva and yelled, "_Crucio, CRUCIO!" _

Seamus launched himself through the air and landed hard on his shoulder, screaming with pain. He twitched and writhed, the curse taking over his body. Minerva snarled and sent the Death Eater flying into the wall with a wave of her hand. He crumpled to the ground, his head hanging forward. Minerva bent down beside Seamus and waved her wand over him.

_Come on, Seamus_, she thought desperately.

His eyelids flickered and he groaned back into life, sitting up slowly and rubbing his head. Minerva looked at the ceiling and thanked the stars.

"Can you stand?" she asked, offering him her hand.

He nodded, "I'm fine, Professor. I'm fine."

Minerva smiled.

"Back to the battle then?"

Seamus grinned.

"You know it, Commander."

Minerva let out her musical laugh and pulled Seamus to his feet.

"We need to get out of here." she said, "This floor is not exactly in prime condition and I don't like the look of that crack."

Seamus climbed down one set of stairs into the girl's dormitory. Minerva tied up the two Death Eaters and went over to the trapdoor that went down to the boy's room.

"Bill," she called down, "Bill, I'm going down from here, the floor's not going to hold. Can you seal this trapdoor?"

Bill yelled the affirmative and Minerva followed Seamus down into the girl's dormitory.

"_Minerva!_" Hestia yelled and Minerva found her wand being forced out of her hand by some kind of force. It spun across the room and landed at the feet of a Death Eater called Rabastan Lestrange. Many of the current teachers would have taught him as a student. He laughed cruelly, picked up the wand and sent a spray of green jets towards her. Minerva ducked down behind a bed and shielded her face from the bed post splinters. A pillow exploded, sending feathers everywhere.

"Oi!" Seamus yelled.

Rabastan turned around and Seamus, wand forgotten, punched him in the face. Rabastan stumbled and dropped both his and Minerva's wands. Seamus threw Rabastan's through the broken window and Hestia grabbed Minerva's and hurled it to her. All in one movement, Minerva caught the wand and hit Rabastan with a curse. He fell, unconscious, on to a bed. There was silence before Hestia screamed:

"That was so _frickin _awesome!"

She gave Seamus a big hug and was running over to Minerva when the tower shook again and everyone fell over. Minerva heard voices coming from the attic. She went over to the stairs, wand at the ready.

Suddenly there was a resounding crash from the common room. Minerva sprinted towards the door but backed away again, fanning dust away from her face. Apparently her prediction had come true; the floor of the attic had caved in, meaning that the roof of the common room had fallen through.

As the dust cleared, Minerva saw the extent of the damage. The entire roof had collapsed and was now lying on the carpet. Splintered wood, bits of brick and crumbled plaster was heaped beside the fireplace. A Ravenclaw girl was curled up in the corner, tears streaming down her face which was cut and bloody. Minerva looked around in disbelief. It was hard to see such an old friend falling apart. Through the dusty air, the Gryffindor banner was still intact. The lion stood proudly, a ghost of what once was there.

"Oh my god." Hestia whispered, putting her hand over her mouth.

"Hey, what's going... _on_?"

Bill Weasley and three others had appeared from the other side of the room.

"The attic couldn't take their weight." Hestia said, pointing to the masked wizards that lay amongst the rubble.

Minerva ran her hand over her bun and then something hit her. She looked at the others, a sense of urgency in her eyes.

"Where is Patterson?"

She turned to the Ravenclaw girl, who stretched out a shaking finger. Sticking out from beneath a pile of bricks was a hand. It hung limp and lifeless, the wand it once held jutting out from under an armchair. Bill, Seamus, Minerva and a boy from Hufflepuff quickly rushed to clear the debris, while Hestia attended to the Ravenclaw. Minerva threw aside a brick, revealing Patterson's face. His eyes were closed. Fingers trembling, she felt his neck for a pulse. Perhaps she lingered to long, coaxing the beat to come, because Bill had already stood up, hands on head, when she confirmed the worst. Patterson was dead.

The tower began to quake again and more of the ceiling began to fall away.

"Get out!" Bill yelled, "Everyone out of the tower!"

Hestia, with the help of another, brought the Ravenclaw to her feet and made their way to the door. Seamus, the Hufflepuff boy and another member of the Order followed behind, dodging a falling chunk of stone.

"Hurry up!" Seamus yelled, before disappearing out the portrait hole.

Minerva grabbed Patterson, trying in vain to rescue his body. Bill turned his head and swore as a huge creature thundered past the window.

"Holy crap, they've got giants! Professor McGonagall, we have to leave now!" Bill yelled, his voice almost drowned out by the crashing around them.

"We can't leave him here!" Minerva croaked, "Not like this!"

She tried to cast a levitation spell but she was sent reeling backwards as another jolt hit the tower.

"Minerva," Bill said, calmly. "We have to go now."

The use of her first name knocked some sense into her. Bill held out a hand and, reluctantly, she took it.

As they left through the portrait hole, Minerva looked back. Patterson's body was lost beneath a cloud of dust. He was the only casualty they had sustained in the battle of Gryffindor Tower. He was, no doubt, among the many who had already fallen. And she didn't even know his first name. Dirt, dust and sorrow stung her eyes, but she refused to cry. She refused to be broken. She, Minerva McGonagall, was leading the battle. And the battle had only just began.


	23. Chapter 23: Fighting with Memories

Chapter 23: Fighting with Memories

They ran down the corridor. Nobody was in this particular place, but the sound of fighting was coming from all angles. Bill stopped.

"I'm going to go up the Astronomy tower, see how everything is there."

Minerva nodded.

"Okay. I shall find Kingsley and tell him we've evacuated Gryffindor tower."

And they ran in opposite directions.

Minerva turned a corner. The battle hit her like cold hits you as you walk into a fridge. There were duelists everywhere. Spells bounced off shields at all directions, hitting already crumbling gargoyles and paintings. A few people were on broomsticks, hitting their enemies from above. Rolanda swooped down and landed beside her.

"The acromantulas have decided to join in. Only, they don't care who they're fighting."

Minerva glanced out the window and saw the giant spiders making their way across the courtyard. Most spells were useless against their thick skin. She shuddered and turned back to Rolanda.

"Have you seen Kingsley Shacklebolt? I have to tell him we've left Gryffindor Tower permanently."

"You have?" Rolanda said in surprise. "Couldn't Death Eaters get in from there?"

"They might." Minerva said. "But the attic fell in and with all the giants thundering around, well, it's just too dangerous. Have you seen Kingsley?"

Despite the situation, Rolanda smirked.

"Last time I saw him he was fighting next to Septima in the entrance hall. Getting rather friendly, if I recall correctly."

Minerva rolled her eyes and thanked her friend.

The road to the entrance hall was paved with dangers, much like the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Minerva found herself blocking spells and retaliating with curses she didn't know she knew. She saw her students transform in warriors before her very eyes and it was terrifying. She rounded a corner to find Kingsley standing almost nose to nose with Septima Vector. Minerva gave a sigh of desperation. There seemed to be an excessive amount of love going around.

"SEPTIMA VECTOR AND KINGSLEY SHACKLEBOLT!" she roared. "THIS IS A WAR, NOT A DATING OPPORTUNITY!"

Kingsley and Septima broke apart, with the air of two school children who had just been caught out of bounds.

"Sorry, Minerva." Kingsley said, sheepishly.

At that moment the front door burst open and a flood of giant spiders came in. Septima ran forward to help and Minerva fought beside Kingsley.

"I just wanted to tell you," Minerva yelled, over the squealing of the spiders, "that we've evacuated Gryffindor Tower. The attic collapsed and somebody, one of ours, died underneath it. There are a few Death Eater still up there, dead or just unconscious I couldn't tell you."

Kingsley nodded and sent a red beam of light towards an acromantula. It caught it in the eye and the beast stumbled backwards giving a cry of anguish.

"This is stupid." Kingsley yelled, firing another spell, "They're not even on a side! We shouldn't have to waste our energy fighting these monsters, when there are Death Eaters who actually want to harm our movement in order to advance theirs. The spiders just want to fight and they don't care who they're hurting!"

Minerva was about to agree when a curse went whizzing past her face. She spun around to see its conjurer was a man with long, dirty blonde hair. She took up a ready stance and prepared to duel.

"Minerva!" Yaxley said in surprise, when he realized who he had almost hit.

"Yaxley." Minerva replied coldly, sending a stunning spell in his direction.

"It doesn't have to be this way!" Yaxley pleaded, blocking with a shield charm.

"Oh, I think it does!" Minerva said, advancing forward, casting another spell. "I very much think it does."

"You could still change sides!" he said, edging backwards as she came towards him.

"I've chosen my side," MInerva shouted with pride, "and I'm sticking to it. I've chosen the _winning _side."

Yaxley's eyes narrowed and he scowled. All romantic sentiment slid away and he became very, _very_ nasty.

"The Dark Lord will crush all who try to stop him. You've taken arms against him, therefore you shall die."

"Changed your tune a little." Minerva said brightly, singeing the end of his robes with a curse that only just missed.

She cast three in a row and Yaxley blocked all of them. He sent one spinning towards her and she only just jumped aside. Yaxley was apparently more competent at dueling than most of his companions.

The pace that they fought at was astronomical. No sooner had Yaxley blocked a spell then another one would come zooming at him. They began to climb the stairs, Yaxley above, Minerva below. He made a slashing movement and Minerva felt a searing pain through her cheek. She lunged forward, her hair falling across her face, and almost knocked him off balance. He came to the top of the landing and sprinted down a corridor. Minerva ducked into a classroom. Looking at the desks with regret, she transfigured them into life. She herded them from the room like a flock of sheep and sent them chasing after Yaxley.

"CHARGE!" she yelled, sprinting after her creations.

She turned a corner and found herself on the ground, knocked backwards. It was not a curse that had sent her sprawling but a shield charm, cast between her and a Death Eater. She looked up to see her protector and her heart stopped. It couldn't be him. It just _couldn't _be him. The man who stood next to her was tall with long, greying-white hair and a beard to match. He had light blue eyes, light blue eyes that looked so familiar. It wasn't him, it couldn't be him, but Minerva had whispered the word before she even thought about it.

"_Dumbledore_?"

The man smiled.

"Not the one you're thinking of, I expect."

He stepped forward and sent Minerva's attacker flying into a wall. Then he turned and offered her his hand.

"Aberforth Dumbledore."

Of course! It was the brother. Now that she looked closer it was obvious to see, but still the resemblance was uncanny.

"Minerva McGonagall." she said, taking his hand and pulling herself to her feet.

"The famous Minerva McGonagall." Aberforth said with a smile. "Pleasure to meet you."

"Like wise, I'm sure." Minerva said curtly, brushing off her dressing gown.

She reached up to her cheek. It stung at the touch of her fingers and she found it was bleeding.

"Are you okay?" Aberforth asked.

Minerva shrugged.

"I have been through worse." she said. "We've all been through worse."

A ear shattering scream rang through the air. Minerva turned on her heel and sprinted towards the sound, Aberforth close behind.

Lying on the ground, deathly still, was a muscular boy with blonde hair swept across his forehead. His skin was pale and his eyes were closed. Whoever had attacked him was gone now. Minerva bent down beside his body, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Colin," she whispered, "Colin, don't do this."

She placed two fingers on Colin Creevey's neck. A pulse could be felt, fragile and faint, fluttering like the wings of a moth against his skin. For a few seconds it stayed, tempting the idea that he could live. But then it was gone. And so was he.

Minerva drew her hand back as if it had been burnt. A tear rolled down her cheek. He was so young. Too young to be lying here. Sixteen, practically a baby. She ran her hand across his forehead, remembering the sweet little boy he had been when he first arrived. That sweet little boy, she realised with a pang, had not been seen in at least a year. Experience had changed him, it had changed everyone. She remembered all the students she had seen grow up. Many of them were fighting beside her. Many of them had been forced to grow up in seconds. The urge to burst into noisy sobs was strong and Minerva couldn't bring herself to stand up. She opened her mouth to speak and the words that came out were not her own. The high, clear voice of the Dark Lord echoed through out the castle.


	24. Chapter 24: Between Battles

Chapter 24: Between Battles

"You have fought valiantly." the voice said. "Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery."

Minerva prepared to shudder at the name, but she didn't. Instead she felt a wave of resentment and anger rising up inside her, stronger than she had ever felt in her life. This cold, high voice knew nothing about the value of bravery.

"Yet you have sustained heavy losses." it hissed. "If you continue to resist me, you will all die, one by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilt is a loss and a waste. Lord Voldemort -"

Again Minerva didn't shudder.

"- is merciful. I command my forces to retreat, immediately. You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured. I speak now, Harry Potter, directly to you. You have permitted your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If, at the end of that hour, you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, then battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every last man, woman and child who has tried to conceal you from me. One hour."

And the voice rang off, leaving nothing but a great, gaping silence behind. Minerva ran her fingers through her hair, staring off into space. Wherever Harry Potter was, he would be feeling worse than she was. But he shouldn't. Harry had not allowed his friends to die for him, he _had _to know that. They were fighting for something much bigger than a boy, be it a special boy. Minerva looked down at Colin. He had known that, she was sure.

"Do you want me to take him?"

Aberforth had bent down beside her. The more she looked at him, the less he looked like Albus. There were similarities, yes, but there were differences too. He was broader in the shoulders, also a little shorter. His beard was still streaked with colour and his nose did not look broken. His eyes, Minerva thought, were the main difference. While both brothers had eyes of blue, Albus had had sparkly eyes, eyes that seemed to look straight through you. They didn't try to hide anything and yet, they were so deep you could often get lost in them without finding anything. Aberforth's eyes weren't like that. They were darker, sharper, less welcoming. And they didn't look through her, they looked right at her. The walls that Minerva had built up usually kept people out. While most would hit the wall and bounce off, Aberforth's stare came right up to it and stayed there, as if trying to work out why they had been built in the first place. It made Minerva uncomfortable in a completely comfortable way. That statement was illogical, impossible and made no sense, which made her all the more uneasy. Aberforth repeated his question.

"Do you want me to take him?"

Minerva nodded slowly and said nothing. She rose to her feet and stepped out of the way, as Aberforth gently scooped Colin's lifeless form up in his arms. Both witch and wizard would have been more than capable of carrying the boy with magic, but this way seemed more respectful. They slowly made their way to the Great Hall.

Without the battle to mask the destruction, the castle looked like it was dying. Stone lay everywhere, statues were crumbling, paintings were torn and the wood from doors had been blasted away. Through the open doors the courtyard could be seen, the bodies of giants lying atop the rubble. Beyond that was the Quidditch pitch and the greenhouses, each one still blazing with fire. Minerva ran her fingers over the banister, which disintegrated with her touch. Hogwarts was falling apart.

In the Great Hall the tables had been pushed aside. Groups of people moved about, comforting and checking on friends. Up on the platform, Poppy tended to the wounded.

"Oh my God." Aberforth whispered.

In the middle of the hall, lay a long strip of bodies. The dead. Minerva couldn't do anything, she just felt her body go numb. One body was surrounded by weeping mourners, all with fiery red hair. Molly Weasley lay across her son Fred's chest. Her husband stroked her hair, tears rolling down his cheeks. Fred looked happy in death, a laugh frozen on his face. His twin brother, George, looked lost and empty. Minerva wanted to hug him, but it wasn't her place to intrude on family grief. Just behind that party lay two more bodies, side by side, their hands almost touching. Remus Lupin and his wife Nymphadora. Remus had been a colleague of Minerva's. And a student, a prefect and good friend. Nymphadora, or Tonks as she had been known, had not been as close, but Minerva knew her to be a bright, enthusiastic and caring person. They had a son, who could not be more than a few months old, and now he was alone. Aberforth lay Colin's body down. He was one of a few underaged students who had snuck back in and lost their life, now lying on the floor. Minerva watched as Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and Harry Potter entered. It was the first glimpse of the first two she had seen all year. Hermione looked the same, perhaps a little tireder. Ron appeared to have grown up immensely, not just in looks but in manner. he went over to join his family.

"At least the fighting's stopped." Aberforth sighed.

"It's not over." Minerva said, stonily. "It's going to start again and this time _he_ is going to join us."

"You really think so?" Aberforth asked.

"Yes," Minerva replied, coldly, "because if he doesn't come, it means Harry Potter will have gone to him."

She watched Harry walk through the hall and run out into the corridor.

"And Harry Potter wouldn't do that."

"No?" said Aberforth.

"No." she said.

Minerva went and sat on a bench that until tonight had seated the Gryffindor students. She thought about what she had just said. _Would _Harry give himself up to the Dark Lord, on the off chance that it might save some lives? It seemed like one of the stupidly heroic things he might do. He was like his father, James, in that way. Lily would never have done something irrational or unthought through. Minerva sighed. James and Lily. Who would have thought that they would die seventeen years ago? No one, probably. They were the ultimate survivors, defying death so many times. Who would have thought that their son would grow up to be the person he was? Well, it wasn't surprising he had bravely fought so many battles, you only had to look at who his parents had been. But no one could have expected him to be _the_ Chosen One, the one who everyone's hopes relied on! No one, expect perhaps Albus Dumbledore.

_That bloody man!_ Minerva thought, _He probably knew everything. _

Her musings were interrupted by the sound of two people collapsing onto the bench on either side of her. Pomona on one side, her hair wild and her face dirty and scratched, Rolanda on the other, her arm wrapped in a blood soaked bandage. Minerva looked at them and wrapped her arms around their necks.

"I'm so sorry." she whispered.

"Why? We're alive aren't we?" Rolanda said, rather bitterly.

"But the Quidditch pitch!" Minerva sighed, "And, Pomona, the greenhouses! They're ruins, the whole school is!"

"It's alright." Pomona said, sadly.

"The Quidditch pitch was only ever a cleverly constructed pile of sticks." Rolanda said. "It's the people who matter now."

Minerva smiled and gave her friend a squeeze.

She said, "before this year I don't think I'd ever heard you say anything remotely sensible. And now you're spitting proverbs like there's no tomorrow."

In hindsight, it seemed a rather tactless thing to say, but Rolanda just burst out laughing.

"Yes, I know!" she grinned. "And I don't think I like it. When this is all over I shall go back to not saying anything I've thought about for more than two seconds."

She paused and the smile drained from her face.

"It seems like such a long way away." she whispered. "This being over, I mean."

Pomona nodded, "I know. At the present time I can't imagine leaving this hall. It feels like we'll be here forever."

"But we won't be!" Minerva cried firmly. "We'll over come this. We just can't lose faith."

"The commander rallies the troops, eh."

Poppy had come down from the platform and was now standing in front of them.

"It's true!" Minerva scowled. "If we lose spirit now, what have we got to fight for?"

"I completely agree." Poppy sighed, looking at the other three witches. "I'm so glad you're all okay."

She had clearly been waiting to check them and it lifted a great weight from her to find her best friends alive.

"Your cheek, Minerva!" Poppy gasped. "It's bleeding like nobody's business! Let me fix it."

"I'm fine, Poppy." Minerva said, waving her friend away. "Attend to the people who really need it."

"Minerva McGonagall, you will let me heal you or, so help me, I will forcibly restrain you and not let you leave until I have given you a _full _medical examination. Is that clear?"

Minerva was about to respond when a voice, one that was becoming all too familiar, echoed through the Great Hall.

"Harry Potter is dead. He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him. We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone."


	25. Chapter 25: The Hero Falls

Chapter 25: The Hero Falls

The whole hall erupted into life. Minerva looked up at Poppy.

"Did he just say that Potter was dead?"

Poppy looked pained and confused, saying "I - I - I don't know. I don't know what I heard."

Minerva was pretty sure she had heard correctly. But it couldn't possibly be true, not one single word. Harry would never run out on them. And they couldn't have his body because he couldn't be dead. He just couldn't be.

"PEOPLE ARE COMING INTO THE COURTYARD!" somebody yelled.

Minerva got up quickly and headed for the entrance hall. Everybody seemed to be moving at once and Minerva, Pomona, Rolanda and Poppy somehow ended up at the front of the bunch.

People were indeed coming into the courtyard. It was a sea of black cloaks and grotesque masks. Leading them was Lord Voldemort himself. He didn't walk so much as float, his movements graceful yet menacing. Beside him was Bellatrix Lestrange, his second in command. _She _didn't walk so much as skip, obviously delighted at the morbidity of the situation. Next to her was the giant form of Hagrid and in his arms was...

"_**NO**__!" _

Minerva didn't even notice the scream escape from her mouth. She didn't notice the shocked looks she received from those behind her, nor did she notice the cruel, mocking laughter of Bellatrix. The only thing she noticed was the limp body of a boy and the crippling pain that came with realization: They had spoken the truth, The Boy Who Lived was dead. Beside her, Rolanda had tensed up. Pomona blinked furiously. Poppy shook her head.

"No," Minerva whispered pathetically. "_No_."

Tears ran freely down her face and Minerva did nothing to stop them. She felt Poppy take her hand. Others began to cry out as well. Many voices mixed together to create a symphony of anguish.

"SILENCE!" Voldemort roared, brandishing his wand.

A forced hush fell over the crowd.

"It is over! Hagrid, at my feet, where he belongs. You see?" the Dark Lord said, "Harry Potter is dead! Do you understand now, deluded ones? He was nothing, ever, but a boy who relied on others to sacrifice themselves for him!"

"He beat you!" Ron Weasley yelled and the crowd found their voice again.

Rolanda cheered loudly, whistling with her fingers. Pomona threw sparks up in the air. Poppy started clapping. Minerva just shouted, not really saying anything, just trying to add to the noise. Another bang, this time louder, issued across the courtyard and the defenders of Hogwarts returned to silence.

"He was killed while trying to sneak out of the castle grounds," Voldemort sneered, "killed while trying to save himself -"

Minerva felt someone push past her.

"_Neville!_" she whispered desperately, as Neville Longbottom's wrist slipped through her fingers.

The Gryffindor boy ran forwards, holding his wand high. Voldemort laughed, flicking Neville aside with one movement of his wand.

"And who is this?" he hissed. "Who has volunteered to demonstrate what happens to those who continue to fight when the battle is lost?"

Minerva clenched her fists. That evil monster could destroy her life's work and reduce her home to rubble but he could _not _hurt her students. She started forward when Poppy pulled her back.

"Not now." the matron whispered. "Bide your time."

"It is Neville Longbottom, my Lord!" Bellatrix laughed, in response to her master's question. "The boy who has been giving the Carrows so much trouble! The son of the Aurors, remember?"

Minerva saw Neville shiver with anger at the mention of his parents. He tried to stand, though he had no hope of once again attacking, with his wand lying at the feet of his enemy. Voldemort just smiled.

"Ah, yes I remember," he said. "But you are a pure-blood, aren't you, my brave boy?"

"So what if I am?" Neville said, sounding cool and collected. Minerva was reminded of his father and she almost smiled.

'You show spirit, and bravery, and you come of noble stock. You will make a very valuable Death Eater. We need your kind, Neville Longbottom."

"I'll join you when hell freezes over," Neville said. "Dumbledore's Army!" he shouted and Minerva raised her voice in response, as did the rest of the crowd.

"Very well," said Voldemort, his voice getting lower and more dangerous. It was that kind of tone that reminded Minerva why she used to shiver at his name.

"If that is your choice, Longbottom, we revert to the original plan. On your head be it."

Up in one of the Hogwarts towers, what remained of the windowpane shattered as a strangely shaped object flew towards Voldemort's outstretched hand. Minerva couldn't tell what it was until it was unfurled; The Hogwarts' Sorting Hat.

"There will be no more Sorting at Hogwarts School." Voldemort declared. "There will be no more houses. The emblem, shield and colours of my noble ancestor, Salazar Slytherin, will suffice for everyone."

Minerva narrowed her eyes and glared Voldemort, who was now forcing the Sorting Hat onto Neville's head.

"Neville here," Voldemort said, "is now going to demonstrate what happens to anyone foolish enough to continue to oppose me."

He flicked his wand and the Sorting Hat burst into flames. Neville, under the influence of a spell, was unable to move and so he just screamed. This was too much for Minerva. As she raised her wand, a resounding battle cry resonated from the school boundaries. The people of Hogsmeade had decided to join in and they came sprinting towards the castle. Grawp, the giant half-brother of Hagrid came thundering from around the side of the castle, yelling, "HAGGER." The ground began to shake as Voldemort's giants ran towards him. There was a yell and the Death Eaters began to scatter as arrows fell towards them. A proud army of centaurs stood at the edge of the courtyard. Minerva met the eyes of their leader, Magorian, and she bowed her head respectfully and gratefully. Magorian inclined his own and pawed the ground with his glistening hooves.

And then, his magical prison broken, Neville Longbottom got to his feet. The Sorting Hat fell from his head and he reached inside the tattered garment. When his hand returned from within, it held a beautiful silver sword with sparkling rubies embedded it the handle. He raised it above his head and, with one clean stroke, he brought it down on Voldemort's snake. The head of the great beast flew through the air, its body slamming down on the cold stonework. Voldemort screamed with fury but no one could hear him above the rest of the noise.

At that moment all hell broke lose. The centaurs broke the Death Eater ranks, sending the Dark Lord supporters in all directions. The reinforcements from Hogsmeade and beyond swarmed on the castle, joining the centaurs. A herd of Thestrals came soaring through the sky, attacking the eyes of the giants, who in turn were driving everybody inside with the stamping of their feet. Minerva grabbed Poppy around the wrist and pulled her towards the entrance hall.

Curses flew everywhere inside the castle. Minerva cast several spells into the on coming crowd and, miraculously, she managed to hit only Death Eaters.

"This is insanity!" Minerva yelled to Poppy above the roar of the battle. "We're going to end up killing someone we don't mean to kill!"

They came into the Great Hall. It was more clear who was winning the battle in here. All around them Death Eaters were being brought down by wizards, centaurs and house elves, the latter of whom were brandishing knives. Yaxley was forced to the ground by Lee Jordan and George Weasley. Macnair was hurled across the room by Hagrid. Filius, a dueling champion in his youth, brought Dolohov to his knees without even trying.

"That's my man!" Poppy screamed with elation and Minerva rolled her eyes.

Lord Voldemort was in the heart of the fray. He was getting more and more frustrated as his minions failed him. He threw a desperate spell and it hit the ground just before Minerva's feet. It was with a mix of terror, adrenaline and Gryffindor courage that Minerva let out a shivery laugh.

"You _dare _laugh at me?" Voldemort hissed. "You dare laugh at me when you cannot even speak my name? Fine. Laughing may be the last thing you ever do."

A green curse flew from his wand and Minerva blocked it.

"You know what?" Minerva said, her voice showing no kind of emotion. "I am so tired. I'm so tired, I don't even have the energy to be afraid of you. So I'm laughing instead. Laughing, because you don't realise you're finished. And yes, it may well be the last thing I ever do. You could kill me without even blinking and you would not think twice about it. But you know what else? We have nothing to lose and everything to gain. And when you have nothing to lose, you are twice as dangerous."

"Your _Chosen One _is dead by my hand!" Voldemort roared. "You all depended on him to defeat me and now he is dead!"

"We will still defeat you, Tom!" Horace Slughorn yelled. "Make no mistake."

He and Kingsley Shacklebolt had come up beside Minerva. All three of them began to battle Voldemort at once. They were talented. Horace was clever and quick thinking. Kingsley was an accomplished Auror. Minerva was acknowledged as one of the greatest witches in Britain, but, somehow, they could not bring the Dark Lord down.

Minerva heard Molly Weasley scream, "NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!". She quickly looked behind her to see the mother of seven dueling Bellatrix Lestrange, both woman looking impressive as they fought. Bellatrix was cold and ruthless but, looking at Molly, Minerva didn't fancy her chances.

Minerva turned back to her own battle. She cast a shield in front of Kingsley, who returned the favour a few seconds later. Both Order members were cool under pressure but even they were getting frustrated. Nothing they were trying was working. Horace cast another spell that Voldemort just brushed aside.

"Why isn't this working?" he hollered, looking just as confused as Minerva and Kingsley.

A loud laugh came from behind them, then the sound of a body hitting the floor. Judging by Voldemort's scream, Bellatrix had just been bested by Molly. He threw his head back and magic radiated from him. Minerva felt something pulse through her. Her whole body began to seize up and pain took over. She was thrown back through the air, though she didn't realise it. She felt like she was being turned inside out, her stomach caving in, her head spinning and her muscles flexing in the wrong directions. It was torture and she just wanted it to stop. And then it did and there was darkness.


	26. Chapter 26: The Hero Rises

Chapter 26: The Hero Rises

Minerva's head hurt. Like hell. It wasn't eloquent language, but it was the truth. She felt like Rolanda had just convinced her to drain an entire bottle of Firewhisky (it wouldn't be the first time) and for a second she thought that might have actually happened. But then she remembered something; a battle, a boy, a spell and a man. Her eyes flickered open and blurry, shadow like figures moved in front of her eyes. She propped herself up on her elbows and looked up. Poppy Pomfrey, seeing she was conscious, wrapped her in a bone-crushing hug.

"You're okay!" she whispered, "Thank _God_ you're okay."

Minerva sat up and looked around. She was on the floor.

_Okay_ she thought _Firewhisky theory still looking feasible_.

People were standing in front of her, completely silent, staring at something in the middle of the Great Hall. Only a few people were speaking, one of the voices the cold, high pitched tongue of Lord Voldemort. And then Minerva remember what was going on. Hogwarts was at war! She had been fighting with Kingsley and Horace, fighting Voldemort himself. Molly Weasley had killed Bellatrix Lestrange and then Voldemort had screamed. He must have a cast a curse and that was why she currently lying on the floor feeling like her brain was Highland dancing in her skull.

Minerva reached up a hand and pushed herself up using Poppy's shoulder. She looked at the people in the middle of the Great Hall and sat down again, her eyes wide. The curse must still be having some effect because she could swear she just saw Harry Potter talking to Lord Voldemort. But Harry Potter was dead. She didn't want him to be, but he was. She had seen his body lying on the cold stone courtyard. With great confusion, she pulled herself to her feet again and gasped. There could be no mistaking it. Harry Potter, scar and all, was circling around Lord Voldemort. He was alive. How could that be?

"What's going on?" Minerva whispered to Poppy.

"The wand still isn't working properly for you, because you murdered the wrong person." Harry was saying. "Severus Snape was never the master of the Elder Wand. He never defeated Dumbledore."

"_What_?" Minerva whispered. "Elder wand? What's happening here?"

"Harry Potter's not actually dead!" Poppy whispered back.

"Thank you, Poppy, I got _that _much." Minerva said, icily. "But what's all this about Snape and an Elder Wand?"

"_The _Elder Wand, apparently." Poppy said, getting up on her tip toes to watch.

"What? What Elder Wand?" Minerva asked.

Poppy shrugged, "No idea."

"Well that's helpful." Minerva snapped.

"Shut up and listen!" Poppy shot back.

Minerva folded her arms across her chest and watched Harry talk to Voldemort. She knew she should be scared for him but, for some reason, she wasn't. Here was this seventeen year old boy fighting possibly the most powerful dark wizard and she wasn't scared for him.

"You still don't get it, Riddle, do you?" Harry said. "Possessing the wand isn't enough! Holding it, using it, doesn't make it really yours. Didn't you listen to Ollivander? _The wand chooses the wizard _... the Elder Wand recognised a new master before Dumbledore died, someone who never even laid a hand on it. The new master removed the wand from Dumbledore against his will, never realising exactly what he had done, or that the world's most dangerous wand had given him its allegiance..."

Minerva's mind flashed back to that night at the Astronomy tower a year ago. She remembered seeing Albus' body lying there. She remembered picking his wand up later and putting it with the body. She looked at the wand that Voldemort was holding. Albus' wand. Voldemort's trip to the great man's grave suddenly began to make sense. He had come to Hogwarts that day to take the wand. To steal it.

"The true master," Harry continued, "of the Elder Wand was Draco Malfoy."

A gasp rose from Minerva's throat. She had no idea what exactly was going on, but Draco Malfoy being the master of Albus Dumbledore's wand was a revelation to her.

"But what does it matter?" Voldemort whispered softly, recovering quickly from shock. "Even if you are right, Potter, it makes no difference to you and me. You no longer have the phoenix wand (_another wand? _Minerva thought): we duel on skill alone... after I have killed you, I can attend to Draco Malfoy..."

"But you're too late," said Harry. "You've missed your chance. I got there first. I overpowered Draco weeks ago. I took this wand from him (_too many wands! _thought Minerva). So it all comes down to this, doesn't it? Does the wand in your hand know its last master was Disarmed? Because if it does...I am the true master of the Elder Wand."

Harry and Voldemort both froze. The next few minutes seemed to play out in slow motion. Harry pointed his wand and yelled "_Expelliarmus!_". At the same time, Voldemort shrieked "_Avada Kedavra!_". Two jets of light few from either wand; one red, one green. They met somewhere in the middle and the green jet rebounded back towards its conjurer. The Elder Wand spun from Voldemort's hand as the light hit his chest. His evil eyes rolled backwards and he crumpled to the floor. Minerva held her breath and leaned forward with the rest of the. She counted the seconds, each second another second that Voldemort didn't get to his feet. The shock hit her faster and harder than any spell; the Dark Lord was dead.

He was dead. His body no longer had life in it. He would never hurt them again. He was really gone this time. There was a pause as this realization sunk in and then everyone started to scream and cry. Minerva ran over to Harry, who was now surrounded by others. She took his hand and shook it vigorously before he was torn away to some other admirer. Poppy gave her a huge hug and ran off to find Filius. Pomona gave her one too. Rolanda sprinted up to her, a huge grin on her face. Grasping both Minerva's hands, she yelled:

"HE'S DEAD! SCREAM WITH ME, SCREAM WITH ME!"

And so Minerva did, shouting at the top of her lungs, rejoicing in her and her friend's happiness.

It seemed to go on like that for ages; everybody hugging everybody even if if they didn't know them. Everybody moving around at top speed, yelling and screaming about nothing in particular. It was like someone had put the castle on fast forward. It was only until later that Minerva found some time to sit down, at the front of the raised platform. When she did, Kingsley came and sat next to her.

"What are you going to do next?" he asked.

Minerva shrugged, "I am going to cross that bridge when I come to it. I hear I'm to congratulate you. The new Minister for Magic!"

"Temporary Minister for Magic." Kingsley said, modestly.

"Well, you have my vote when the elections happen." "Let's cross _that _bridge when we come to it."

Minerva laughed and then sighed.

"An hour ago I thought I was going to die."

Kingsley nodded.

"It's hard to believe." he said.

They sat in silence for some time. Minerva just watched people moving about. Ginny Weasley and Molly Weasley were sitting at a table with their heads on each other's shoulders. A few centaurs were having what appeared to be an in depth conversation with Luna Lovegood. The house elves were jostling about, doing what they did best. Their smiling faces always made Minerva smile too.

After awhile Kingsley left and his place was taken by Rolanda. She smiled and gave Minerva a lasting hug.

"Thank heavens it's over." she whispered.

Minerva nodded and smiled.

"Yes. Back to normal, I suppose. We should go out for a drink sometime! Just the girls."

"Drinking with my girls." Rolanda grinned. "My most favourite pass time. As well as Quidditch, matching making and spreading gossip of course."

"Of course." Minerva laughed. "Where is Poppy?"

"With Filius!" Rolanda sighed happily. "I take _full _creditfor predicting and encouraging that one."

"And Pomona?"

"Pomona?" Rolanda said, with a sly grin. "Now, she's with Horace. _With _Horace."

"_With _Horace?" Minerva spat. "As in _with _Horace? _With_, _with _Horace?"

"Yes, Minerva," Rolanda replied, "what other kind of _with _is there?"

"But, Pomona and Horace?" Minerva cried in a scandalized tone. "Pomona _and _Horace!"

"An unlikely combination, I know." Rolanda sighed. "But we shouldn't judge. Everyone's looking for love and if they've found it, good for them."

"Why are you so sensible?" Minerva scowled.

"I'm not." Rolanda shrugged. "It's just one of those things. Everybody wants to think there's somebody out there for them."

"I certainly don't!" Minerva said firmly.

"Don't count yourself out yet!" Rolanda smiled. "You never know when someone will come along."

"I am most definitely out!" Minerva said. "And if you don't find anyone good enough for you, you can come and live with me and we'll die old maids."

"I prefer the term bachelors." said Rolanda. "Okay. But only when we're old."

"Yes," Minerva grinned. "We're _far _too young at the moment."

"I think they want you to speak." Rolanda said, after the two witches had finished talking.

Minerva looked out at the people sitting in the hall, all of whom had gone silent. They certainly seemed to be expecting some kind of speech. Rolanda went and sat on a bench, looking up expectantly like the rest of the crowd. Minerva stood up on the raised platform and took a deep breath.

"What do you say," Minerva said, "on an occasion like this? There's nothing you can say that really makes much sense. All I can do is thank you all for being here. The decision to join us was a personal sacrifice that we all appreciate. There are others who made a personal sacrifice and unfortunately they are no longer with us. They chose to help us and they paid the ultimate price. So, in our happiness, there is sadness. There is sadness as we remember the friends and family we leave behind in this hall."

Sunlight streamed in through the broken window, casting interesting shapes on the floor. Minerva held her head high and looked out at everyone; the tired, injured and dead.

"Today," she said, "we shall mourn them. Tomorrow we shall celebrate them. Forever we shall remember them."


	27. Chapter 27: Closing Statements

Chapter 27: Closing Statements

Minerva left the Great Hall by herself, savouring the opportunity to finally be alone. It wasn't that she didn't like talking to others, being praised and comforting those who were still crying. No, she just wanted to enjoy her first solo walk, when she didn't have to worry about anything. That wasn't strictly true. The school was in ruins. It would need to be rebuilt. There were the students to think of as well. Some of them would insist on taking their OWLS and NEWTS. And there was the dead. The bodies of some would be taken by their families but others probably had no one. What about Lord Voldemort? His body had to be disposed of. Minerva shivered at the thought of burying the Dark Lord. Burning him seemed like a good option. However, as she had said before, they'd cross that bridge when they came to it. She'd probably have to build the bridge first. Not that she would be alone. Pomona, Rolanda and Poppy would definitely help. The other staff would as well.

Minerva had seen the broken hallways before. Last time though she had been too busy focusing on Death Eaters to really take it in. Even when she and Aberforth had carried Colin, she hadn't really looked too hard. Now she couldn't stop looking. Memories seemed to seep from the walls. Minerva sat on a step and started to take them in.

She remembered her first day as a student; Walking through those great doors for the first time; Having the Sorting Hat whisper that she should be in Ravenclaw then crying out that she was in Gryffindor; Sitting next to a small blonde girl called Poppy. She remembered her first day as a teacher; Rolanda pumping her hand up and down; Decorating her office with familiar tartan; Tying her hair back in a bun because she found people took her more seriously. There had been bad times; Detentions; The Chamber of Secrets; Dolores Umbridge. There had been good times; Staff Christmas parties; Students exceeding expectations; Gryffindor _finally _winning the Quidditch cup.

_Oh yes_, Minerva thought, _there had definitely been good times_.

No doubt there would be many more good times. And there was one person who had been a part of most of the good times. A person who would no longer be part of the good times. Before she knew it, Minerva was crying softly. There was only one person she wanted to see now.

Getting to her feet, she started up the stairs. It took her longer to reach her destination than usual, simply because the hallways resembled war zones. A few hours ago they _had _been war zones, Minerva reminded herself, so it was hardly surprising.

The stone gargoyle that usually guarded the headmaster's office was lying on the ground, looking dilapidated and sick. Minerva bent down beside it and gently placed her hand on it's head.

"Could I go up there?" she asked, in a kindly voice.

"Well I'm not going to stop you!" the gargoyle said drily.

Minerva laughed and started up the twisting stone steps. Half way up, she nearly walked head on into someone.

"Weasley!" Minerva cried in surprise. "Mr Potter, Miss Granger."

The three students had come down from the headmaster's office in a hurry. Ron Weasley, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. Always together.

"I hope I am not disturbing you." Minerva said, looking down at floor. "I can go if you are busy!"

"No, no, Professor." Hermione said. "We were just leaving."

"Professor," Ron asked, suspiciously, "have you been crying?"

"_Ron!_" Hermione yelled desperately.

Minerva smiled sadly.

"Even the best us cry sometimes."

"I guess, Professor, I just didn't think that teachers-"

"- had emotions? Don't worry, Weasley, it's a common misconception."

She patted him on the shoulder and continued on her way up the stairs. As she turned, she heard Hermione cry:

"RONALD WEASLEY, that was so tactless!"

It made her smile. It was nice to see that some things never change.

She came to the top of the stairs and met with a large wooden door. She gently pushed on it and it swung open. The room she now entered was one she had not entered in quite sometime. It was large and rounded with portraits hanging on the walls. A desk was next to the wall. There were a few tables, on which were lots of silver objects. As Minerva stepped inside, the people in the portraits (previous heads of Hogwarts) greeted her like an old friend.

"Minerva." Phineas Nigellus Black said lazily. "I was wondering when you'd stop by."

"Wonderful to see you, old girl!" Dilys Derwent chortled.

Minerva greeted them all in turn, but there was only one person she really came to see. He was in the biggest portrait, his bright blue eyes twinkling. Beneath his long white beard he was smiling.

"Minerva." Albus Dumbledore said.

"Albus." she replied, a small break in her voice.

"It is so wonderful to see you again, my dear, dear friend."

"And you." Minerva smiled.

"I hear so many reports of your bravery, today and in the previous terms." Albus said.

"Please, can we talk of something else?" Minerva sighed. "I want to move on from this year as soon as possible."

"I can see your reasoning." Albus nodded. "I also hear you've met my brother. Did you like him?"

"Perhaps." Minerva shrugged. "I don't really know him. We spoke only in passing and a few minutes is barely enough time to grasp someone's character."

"Really? I often think that those first few moments can determine the rest of a relationship."

"Well, you would think that because you're partially insane."

Albus chuckled.

"That might be the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

"I do have rather a knack for saying nice things, don't I?" Minerva said sarcastically.

"You speak your mind." Albus said. "And that is usually a commendable thing."

"_Usually_." Minerva whispered.

"You seem somewhat out of spirits." Albus remarked. "This could, of course, be due to the fact that you've just been through a war, but I suspect something else is troubling you."

"It's just-" she looked up at him. "Well, it's just being here and seeing you like this."

"Like what?"

"A painting." Minerva sighed. "It's like you're almost here again. But you're not. You're dead."

"Yes, yes." Albus said wisely. "The real Albus Dumbledore is most certainly dead. Though I have his mind, his looks and his characteristics I will never really be him. But, as he can't be here, I hope my cheap imitation will suffice?"

"I'm sure you'll do very nicely." Minerva smiled. "Thank you."

"Well, sit down!" Albus said. "I should hardly have to ask you, as it is your office now!"

"Really?"

"My dear girl, with this war over and Severus gone, you finally get the position that has been so cruelly kept from you."

"It doesn't feel like my office." Minerva said, sitting down in the big chair behind the desk. "Maybe when I decorate it a little more. Definitely could do with some tartan."

"Speaking of decorating," said Albus, "there is another portrait that needs to be put on this wall."

"Whose?" Minerva asked in surprise.

"Severus Snape's."

"_Snape's?_" Minerva cried. "_That treacherous-dastardly-evil-manipulative-little-bastard?"_

"You obviously don't know the truth," Albus said, "because if you did you wouldn't be saying these things."

"The truth!" Minerva said bitterly. "I haven't known the full truth in more than seventeen years. You weren't exactly helpful on that score either."

"Some things had to be kept from you for your own protection!" said Albus, sternly. "Besides, I thought Harry had explained the situation to everyone as he fought Lord Voldemort?"

"I was, unfortunately, _out _for that particular session."

"Out? You mean you weren't there?"

"Out _cold_,you blithering idiot!"

"Well that is unfortunate, Minerva." Albus said. "I must warn you, the truth is a complex and tedious business."

"I've got time." Minerva said, leaning back in her chair. "Enlighten me."

"The whole truth," Albus began, "goes back a good fifty years at least. But for the purposes of our story we shall begin seventeen years ago on a Muggle street in Surrey. I believe you know this street, Minerva. Number 4 Privet Drive..."

_The End_

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Well, it's the end. I can't believe I finished my first chapter story! Thank you so much to everyone who followed Minerva the whole way through. I hope you enjoyed it! If you have a particular part that you liked then put it in a review! I love to hear from people. Hopefully my Hogwarts Girls (Minerva, Rolanda, Pomona, Poppy) will return to you in another fiction soon! Thanks again :)


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